


Scorpions, Mummies, and Love Triangles

by EpicKiya722



Series: Mummies, Gods and a lot of Crazy [2]
Category: The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), The Mummy Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alex is adopted, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Humor, M/M, Reincarnation, Rick is a Seer, Rick is such a Mother Hen, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 01:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 45,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12997263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpicKiya722/pseuds/EpicKiya722
Summary: After eight years of no bad guys trying to take over the world, curses, or flying bullets, Rick knew it was all too good to be true when the news of Imhotep's return and the awakening of the Scorpion King was given to him. And what else? Oh, visions return, feelings for a certain high priest is questioned, and other reincarnations are discovered. How delightful! (SEQUEL TO 'THE MUMMY: A VERY TWISTED TURN OF EVENTS'!)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So here's the parody/rewritten version of 'The Mummy Returns'.  
> wonder how many people realize that Alex should have been 7 instead of 8 years of age? Why? Evelyn and Rick had only known each other for 7 years, not 8, based on the time the second movie takes place. So I decided I'm sticking with Alex's age in the movie, but my parody-version whatever the heck it is story takes place a year after the second movie does. So instead of 1933, it's 1934. Also, going by the events of my last story, Alex is adopted by Rick.

_Five thousand years ago, a fierce warrior known as the Scorpion King led a great army on a campaign to conquer the known world. After a vicious campaign which lasted 7 long years, the Scorpion King and his army were defeated and driven deep into the sacred desert of Ahm Shere. One by one, they slowly perished under the scorching sun, until only the great warrior himself was left alive. Near death, the Scorpion King made a pact with the dark god Anubis that if Anubis spared his life and let him conquer his enemies, he would give him his soul. Anubis accepted his offer and spared his life. Anubis gave the Scorpion King command of his army, and like an evil flood, they washed away all that lay before them. When his task was done, Anubis forced the Scorpion King to serve him for all time. His army was returned to the sands from whence they came, where they wait, silently, to be awakened once again._

_Years later, one could only say that what was left of the Scorpion King's existence was the golden Bracelet of Anubis that rested within the sands of Egypt, lingering for its much anticipating discovery. And it was. Thebes, a crown jewel to the Pharaoh Seti, was where it was discovered and put away just outside from there to be protected. The people of Egypt knew of the tale of the Scorpion King's voyage, of his defeat and banishment to the desert. But all they were given was the Bracelet. It is said that only a chosen one could see the secret of the Bracelet, that being rumored, that it served as a map to the legendary oasis of Ahm Shere where the Scorpion King and Anubis' Army rested. That was known throughout Egypt and beyond to lands overseas. Many kings searched for the place, hoping to find what they were looking for, but Ahm Shere was an invisible paragon. It was never seen or touched, and if so, no one could vow for it. No one returned as tales have told. Armies of men came in, but never came back out._

_Who knows as to why could only remain a mystery, a cold hearted blinded myth passed on for ages through families and friends. And as it stayed just that, fate stayed within the background, rewriting what shall be a rumor to a truth._

* * *

  **Year – 1934, Place - Egypt**

It was dark, dingy, and way too dusty for him. It made him more well aware to his surroundings within the temple. After the incident from eight years ago, he had every right to be. He had gone on many expeditions after that, and so far no occurrence of the 'accidentally summoning of the world's end'. But one can never be too careful.

With a torch in one hand and a gun in the other, he moved slowly, cutting his crystal blues to any and little thing that moved. He whipped around when he heard distant growling that within seconds became louder. He stepped closer to where the source may be, not noticing a shadow move behind him.

"Hm. Maybe it was nothing."

"Hey, D-"

"Whoa! Whoa!"

Rick twisted around panicky, ready to shoot whoever or whatever the hell touched him. He exhaled, relieved that the threat was no more than his own eight-year-old son.

"Alex, what are you doing scaring me like that?", the brunet asked. His answer had started with a tug on the leather wrist guard on his right arm. "I saw your tattoo! There was a cartouche and it had the same symbol on it that looked exactly like your tattoo!", the small, blond boy exclaimed. Rick watched as he turned his arm and took off his leather brown wristband to show the said tattoo. "The pyramid, two kings, the eye and everything!"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Blue eyes could only blink at the answer. "Um… well… I'll be up to take a look at that in a minute. In the meantime, go wait at the temple for me and your aunt like I told you to."

Alex went to retort but Rick stopped him. "No 'buts', Alex. Pick up your stuff and I'll see you up at the temple, okay? Go.", he demanded, turning the young boy around. The blonde pouted. "Then what should I do? Gets boring."

"That's not my problem, now is it?"

"Dad…"

"Surprise me. How about that? Build a better mousetrap."

"Alright. But don't take so long."

"I won't. Now go."

Alex nodded and went back in the direction he came from. Rick smiled to himself, watching the boy go in his happy glee.

He remembered back when he first saw Alex. He was only a newborn baby at the time. Rick wasn't feeling like himself for a while after the whole mummy incident at Hamunaptra. His visions of his past had come to a halt, but he still felt weary. Evelyn and Jonathan had went about going on trips to the many places in Egypt and found out what they can about its history. The ex-soldier had stayed home at their new mansion in London during the time, noting he should stay away from ancient places for a while.

But of course, staying at home alone got… tiresome. Evelyn and Jonathan would be gone for who knows how long and the curator, Terence Bey, was still in Egypt. He did have a library to run still. Ardeth was there, too, doing his duties of the magi.

That left Rick to do whatever. He would either read, go hunting and even started taken naps. That went on for such a long time that the siblings started to notice. They sat Rick down one afternoon and had quite a lecture. The three concluded that Rick needed a pet, something to take care of since he couldn't be persuaded to go on their once in a while journeys. That following day, they went out to the pet store, but Rick somehow felt… linked when they passed an orphanage. He turned them around and ran in. The moment he did, he spotted a small blonde baby, sitting in a crib while a woman read to him.

Before anyone could blink, Rick was asking about the baby, finding out he didn't have a name, was just about two weeks old and was dropped off the week before. A few minutes later, the thought of buying a pet was abandoned and the brunet was walking out with a baby.

None of his now proclaimed family questioned him, just went with it.

Within days, Rick was a proud father, caring for the baby he decided to call Alex. He was more content with himself, appearing happier than he had before. And he wasn't the only one. With the new addition to the group, everything was a bit more chipper. With Rick being Alex's father, and some on occasions his mother, the siblings were like his aunt and uncle. Evelyn taught Alex everything she knew when he got older. Jonathan was that uncle that let you anything you want and no matter how many times Rick scowled on it, it didn't change. Ardeth, too, served as an uncle when he met with the baby. At first, he was a bit indifferent since he never actually been around babies like that, but he got used to it. He was more so that uncle that protected you when your parents wasn't around and told stories to entertain the youngster. The curator was his surrogate grandfather. He commented how with Alex around, he felt older than ever. He admitted he was shocked that Rick of all people adopted a kid. Rick was, too, surprised he did such a thing, but he felt he should. He had grown a connection with Alex the moment he saw him.

Truth be told, the blonde reminded Rick of his past growing up. Rick never knew his parents and grew up in an orphanage in Cairo.

He didn't want that for Alex. Rick was alone in that orphanage without much a choice. The kids were distant and the adults were apathetic and weren't all that nurturing. Rick pretty much raised himself until he was adopted at nine. His adopted parents were rich and only adopted him for appearance. So he was neglected. But all that time, he grew a hard shell.

By his adult years, he was the Rick O'Connell we all know and love.

In addition to that, he became a father and has been now for eight years.

It wasn't an easy task, but Rick fought in wars and almost a decade ago, mummies and saved the world.

This was nothing he couldn't handle.

Rick headed further down the hall and rounded a corner. He was blessed with quick reflexes when a snake was suddenly kicked his way. He dodged it, and watched as the creature slithered away like nobody's business.

He then turned to his now close friend and proclaimed sister, Evelyn who had been busy dusting off a wall to read the hieroglyphs. "Those are poisonous, you know.", he sassed. Evelyn gave him a small smile before turning back to her task at hand. "Only if they bite you."

"And let's hope on that."

The ex-soldier approached the librarian, yes she still worked as one on some occasions, carrying a chest to her. "Was that Alex? What was that about?", she asked, going through their tools. Rick sighed. "He just wanted to show me something. I swear he hangs around you too much."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, he acts more and more like you every day. He's driving me crazy just how you do."

Evelyn playfully punched his arm. "You know you love me. Without me or Jonathan, your life wouldn't be as exciting."

"I didn't have much more of an option, did I?"

"Nope. Now help me with this."

Rick had rolled his eyes as Evelyn turned for a brief moment before turning back around with a tiny pair of a hammer and chisel. The ex-soldier just stared at her in silence. Noting what Rick was saying through his blue eyes, she exhaled in defeat. "Alright, we'll go with your approach."

"Yay!", the brunet grinned as Evelyn passed him a crowbar. He used it to prop the secret door open, knocking it down in the process. Rick ignored Evelyn's quick side glance and peeked into the room. Dust was everywhere, dead bodies were laid into various spaces in an ordered fashion, it ranked like crazy, and scorpions and huge fucking spiders were scattered among the sandy ground.

He whistled. "Wow. Crazy, isn't it?"

"Yes."

The duo entered the room, Evelyn watching her step while Rick just stepped on the creepy critters without a care. "Ever since I had that dream… this place is all I could ever think about.", the brunette muttered. Rick nodded. "Right, right. And ever since you had that dream, nobody hasn't had a decent night of sleep. Your… thing with the dreams is crazy."

"Oh like you haven't had visions and dreams before. It's just… it's like I've been here before."

"Evy, no one has been here for over 3000 years… except these guys.", Rick lightly chuckled, gesturing to the dead bodies. Evelyn noticed an unlit torch and grabbed it. She pulled it down and a secret door slid open. She smirked at the other brunet. "Then how come I know exactly where I'm going?"

"Don't sass me."

* * *

 

Alex sighed for the tenth time within the five minutes he's been waiting. He watched as a rat… mouse… he really couldn't tell… scattered over to the cheese laid out on his trap. Unlike the other rodents, this one managed to  _avoid_ getting into the trap. It just jumped and grabbed for the cheese before running off. The blonde blinked, getting off his stomach and on his knees. "Wow. Maybe I should build better mousetrap."

He suddenly heard voices coming from the entrance of the room.

They didn't sound like his dad or aunt.

"Oh damn…"

Three men walked in, baring guns and evil smirks. Alex hid behind one of the wooden pillars, eying the men carefully. The chubbier one had went into the direction his dad just left in. Alex could only pray for the best.

"Be careful, Dad."

* * *

 

Evelyn and Rick found another hallway, which led to a massive dusty door. The ex-soldier was slowly following, careful as ever while the librarian looked about. She suddenly stopped, feeling something come over her. Her eyes closed briefly before opening again. Instead of a dark, dingy hall, it was golden, decorative and lit with warm fires. The door was more visible, golden like the walls with a large knob. She watched as it opened with a rumble before it revealed another room. Out came a woman, who she couldn't identify her face because she never got a clear glimpse out it. The woman moved, allowing Evelyn to see two guards standing on each side of a small platform that held a chest on top of it. The woman had then closed the door, locking it with a twist of the knob in a certain pattern before turning to walk away. The gold then faded back to darkness.

The hallway was back to its dusty interior, and the smell of it was back. Eh.

Rick had walked in front of Evelyn and headed for the door. He propped a crowbar in the crack of it, trying to open it. His attention was sudden broken when the librarian started to wave her torch back and forth. He stopped, blinked at her and watched her do that at least five times.

"Um… you know, if you move that fast enough, you can almost write your name.", he voiced before trying again with the door.

Evelyn chuckled nervously, feeling slightly embarrassed at her silly antic. "Heh. Sorry. I just had a vision. It was… it was like my dream, but it was real."

"I would know from experience, huh?", Rick teased, giving up on the door now.

"I guess you would. But you haven't had a dream or vision in the past eight years."

"Yeah… I haven't…", the ex-soldier muttered. It has been that long. Rick was a bit baffled that he had visions that suddenly stopped after defeating Imhotep. He never had them before, and he hasn't had them in forever now. It's as weird as his tattoo. "So what did you see, sis o' sis of mine?"

"The door opening, the walls, fires lit. Just… it was like I was actually here in ancient times."

Rick pointed to the door. "Well, if you actually were here, could you show me how to open this thing?" Evelyn nodded and handled over her torch. Rick held it as she turned the dust and web covered knob. Remembering how her vision showed her, the brunette turned the knob in a coordinated pattern before pushing it in. Rick's blue gaze widened as the door opened with ease. "Alright, Evy. Now you're starting to scare me."

"I'm starting to scare myself.", Evelyn admitted.

Now she knew how Rick felt when he had his visions. She was grateful that she didn't drop face down to the ground like he did though.

* * *

 

"All this is rubbish. Rubbish, chintz, garbage. Nothing worth value. Do they really think we'll find that bracelet here? In a dump like this?"

"Shut up and keep digging, Spivey. That bracelet could be anywhere in a place like this. Could be right under our noses. The Egyptians were cautious about their treasure."

Alex's blue gaze stayed glue on the two men, listening to their words to catch anything. It struck him how they mentioned a bracelet. From their tone about it, it was extremely important. Could it be the very bracelet his aunt was looking for?

"We can't have that. Maybe I can scare them off or something.", the young boy whispered to himself. He picked up his slingshot that laid beside him and a random sized pebble. He aimed it, snickering quietly to himself as it flew and whacked the blond guy's neck. Spivey shouted in pain, a hand landing on the now aching spot. "Ow! Jacques, something just hit me!"

Jacques held up a hand to silent the other. "Quiet!", he ordered before lowering his own voice, looking around suspiciously. "This place is cursed. We don't want to wake the gods."

' _Yes, you do.'_ , Alex thought teasingly before picking up another pebble and shooting it again. This time it struck Spivey right in the ass when he bent over to continue to dig though the dusty pottery. "OW! MY ASS!"

"Spivey, quiet!"

"But my ass!"

"Alright, I heard you the first time."

Alex had to hold back his laughter with both his hands covering his mouth. He couldn't give away his position. He was having so fun now. Now, hopefully so was his dad if he caught the third guy. He would be in a world of hurt.

* * *

 

Rick was now leaning over the mantle, watching as Evelyn removed webs and dust. She became amazed when she spotted a scorpion imprint on a golden circle above the mantle. "That's the emblem of the Scorpion King. He's supposed to be pure myth. No trace of him has ever been found before. No artifacts, no archival evidence."

"Not until now. Maybe they didn't want anybody to find him. And from the looks of these dead guys…", Rick voiced, pointing to the said dead skeletons of bodyguards, "… this chest was being protected. And for a  _very_  good reason. Evy, remember what happened last time."

Evelyn stared at Rick for a brief moment before picking up a crowbar with a grin.

"Let's open this!"

"No! Evelyn, remember what happened last time. I don't have a really good feeling about this.", Rick protested, trying to pry the crowbar from the woman's hands. Evelyn dodged him before sticking the tool within the chest to open it. "It's only a chest. No harm ever came from opening a chest."

Rick gave a dry chuckle, rolling his eyes. "Right. And no harm ever came from reading a book. Remember how that turned out?"

"Oh. Are you recalling the time when those were killed and suck dry of their life essence?"

"Yeah, from… oh, what you do know? Opening a chest!"

"Yeah. Which helped regenerate the mummy we found?"

"Who not only went after those that opened that chest, but went after me. And don't laugh. That wasn't funny.", Rick warned seeing that Evelyn was about to laugh. The brunette turned back to the chest. "Well, we can't stop now."

Seeing that, like before, there was no getting through to Evelyn, Rick crossed his arms and stepped back. "Fine. Just remember I was the voice of reason here. And not for the first time."

Unknown to either one, a third person had appeared, hiding behind a pillar. He listened in to their conversation and from the sounds of it, they found something worthwhile. A chest. And hopefully it was the chest he and the other two came for. It had better be worth it, too. He almost got his ass bit up by large ass spiders and damn scorpions.

He aimed his gun, ready to shoot, but quickly hid when Rick looked back with a questioning look in his blue eyes. He turned back and glanced back at the dead bodyguard, noticing something hanging around his neck. He took it, wiping dust of it and familiarize it as a key. It looked like a miniscule version of the key they possessed years ago. Jonathan was still sore about losing it, but that was quickly forgotten with the gold they gotten.

"Evy, let's do it your way.", Rick suggested, handing over the key. Evelyn took it and shrugged before sticking it the chest's lock and opening it.

She lifted the lid, revealing a golden fancy piece of jewelry. Rick recognized it with ease just as Evelyn did with amazement.

"Isn't that…?"

"The bracelet of Anubis."

While the two, mostly of Evelyn's part, ogled the bracelet, the man took aim with his gun again. He was just about to shoot when suddenly there was a rumble. "Nope. Not worth it.", he decided before running off, knowing whatever that was coming wasn't good at all. He wasn't losing his life today.

Evelyn had squeaked in shock as the rumbles continued. She closed the chest, figuring it had something to do with that. Rick blinked at her, then the chest and back at her. "It's a bit late for that, isn't it?", he sassed. The librarian just grabbed the chest with a groan and shoved it his way. "Put it in your rucksack." Rick shook his head and pushed it back to her. "Uh-uh. I got a better idea. Let's leave it here!"

"I think it's a bit late for that!"

She pointed at an inscription on the chest which Rick growled at. "Don't tell me… You just noticed this?! What does it say?"

It wasn't good. That's guaranteed.

"Um… 'he who disturbs this bracelet shall drink from the Nile.' That doesn't sound too bad."

Rick just grabbed the chest, stuffed it in his bag, and grabbed Evelyn by the arm. "Yeah. Anything that sounds like that means something  _very_ bad, Evy. We got to get out of here!"

The duo then hauled ass.

They ran, avoiding some of the torches falling down before rounding a corner and spotting rushing water. Rick glared at Evelyn. "See?! This is why I hate these expeditions!", he growled as they headed the other way to avoid the water.

* * *

Alex had heard the rumble the moment he shot another pebble. Being distracted by it, he didn't notice Jacques catching it and the two men glaring at him. When he did, he got up on his feet and proceeded to back away as the slightly darker of the two approached him.

"Jacques gonna make a nice fillet out of you.", Spivey threatened. Alex chuckled nervously. "I'm not very tasty."

"Spivey! Jacques! Let's get the hell out of here!"

The third of the trio had ran out, looking as petrified as ever. The others followed, for Jacques, not before kicking a pole down to knock the platform Alex was on out of balance. The youngster shouted, trying to stay on his feet. "Now I know why Dad doesn't agree on taking me on these things!"

* * *

 

"This why I don't like taking Alex on these things, Evelyn! You better hope we get out of this  _alive_!"

"Stop threatening me and keep running, O'Connell!"

"Don't you 'last name basis' me!"

"Stop 'full first name basis' me or whatever!"

The two had halted at a dead end, knowing it was definitely the end. The two turned and saw the water getting closer before grabbing onto each other and screaming like little girls once the water hit smack onto them.

It sucked because the water was really cold and it was already up to their heads. Rick had spotted some bars and reached for them, trying to breathe while water clouded his vision. "This is bad, Evy! Really bad!", he whined, feeling the other grip his shirt while holding onto the rucksack with the chest in it. "We had bad before!", she retorted, her hair sticking to her face and covering it like an annoying blanket.

"This is worse! Let's hope Alex is doing better than we are!"

* * *

 

"AAAAHHHH!"

The platform had finally given up and starting to sway back and forth before colliding with a large decorative pillar. Alex jumped on it, whimpering as the force sent it crashing into another and then that one into another. The pillars fell domino-style, the last one whacking into a wall.

Alex slid down the pillar safely, a frown etched on his face. "Oh damn. Dad's gonna kill me.", he cursed before running to stop it from breaking the wall as cracks formed on it. But let's be honest. That was a total dud since Alex was just a tiny little kid and the pillar itself weighed tons and had others pushing up on it.

Realizing it, labeling himself stupid, Alex moved in time as it crashed down, destroying the wall. Water came out and so did his dad and aunt.

The two spurted water out their mouths, taking oxygen back in their systems. They looked up and saw a guilty looking Alex. "Alex?", Rick questioned, still spitting out water and wobbling to his feet. He handed Evelyn the rucksack who hugged it to her chest. "Oh boy. We were almost goners."

"Yup. No thanks to  _someone_ , no names given.", Rick sassed before taking Alex in his arms and hugging him. "Are you okay? What happened here, Alex?"

"Um… well… there was these guys and… one tried to kill me… falling pillars…"

Rick blinked as his son trailed off. "Well… okay… maybe we should head home now."

* * *

 

In another part of Egypt, not too far actually, men had dug away at the sand at the commands of other men within scarlet red robes, holding guns. The site was the once standing Hamunaptra, where treasure and dead bodies once rested until the defeat of High Priest Imhotep eight years ago.

Now it was his resting place, where they hoped to find him soon. Where  _she_  hoped to find him.

A robed, dark skinned man had walked up to a table, placing a black book down on it. "The Book of the Dead, gives life."

A woman, sharp beautiful features and smile that spoke wit had held a golden replica of the other book. "And the Book of Amun-Ra, the Book of the Living. Which takes life away."

"I thought that was my job.", the man teased darkly. The woman grinned at him before her eyes turned to the men below. "We're getting close." She watched as a car pulled up before parking and revealing Spivey, Jacques, and Red. Hope and anxious anticipation filled her chest as she went down with the man following her. She took a spot next to an older man, who lead the digging. He walked up to the trio, impatience already in his tone. "Did you acquire it?"

Before they could answer, there was a sudden tremble from the ground. The men gathered around a growing pile, curious as to what was happening. The woman had a hint and smiled, seeing she was right as scarabs, those damned flesh eaters popped out and began torturing the poor men. "We're getting very close.", she grinned.

On the other side, in another digging area, a man shouted as the robed men took way to firing at the frightening, black bugs.

The elder man had apprehended what the shout was about. "We've found him! We've found him!", he cheered as they went over in a hurried manner.

The woman sighed in relief seeing a golden-yellow granite mold raise from the ground and then settled back down carefully. She stepped closer, a bubbling feeling easing in her stomach as her hand waved over the part where a face was. The elder man took her side, looking at the mold in awe. "It's him. Imhotep, Meela."

"Yes, it is.", Meela nodded, her eyes still glued onto the mold.

The other man had retrieved a blue gold trimmed vase from one of the diggers. "Now we must raise those that serve him.", he claimed as Spivey, Jacques and Red walked up, pushing through the diggers.

"Out of my way. Get out of my way or I'm gonna shoot you in the face.", Red threatened, waving his gun to emphasize his point. Spivey nodded. "He means it. He's done it before."

"It wasn't pretty.", Jacques muttered, indifferent about everything. Honestly, who in the hell thought any of this was a good idea?

Meela had turned away from the golden cast to see the robed curator walk up to the men. "Give it to me.", he demanded, now ready for everything to go as planned. All they needed was the bracelet.

Red winced at the remembered failure. And how he ran away like a little bitch.

"The uh… opportunity passed us by."

The elder man stared with shocked, wide eyes. Did he just say…? No, he's kidding, right? They didn't get it?! Don't they know how important this was?!

"We need that bracelet!"

"And we need it before it opens!", the darker man growled, unsheathing his sword. There was a rush of swords and guns being aimed. Meela groaned, knowing this was only a dimwitted battle of macho. But she even questioned that when she caught Spivey's gun being moved before he accidently shot Red in the back of the head. Yup, dim-fucking-witted.

"Enough.", she hissed. Meela placed a slender hand on the elder's shoulder. "My dear Hafez, I told you I should have handle it."

Hafez turned and patted her hand, concern in his tone. He didn't want anything to happened to Meela. Not before Imhotep was awakened.

"I don't want your past history to cloud the issue.", he admitted.

"Look, we know where the damned bracelet is. We'll take care of it.", Red claimed. Hafez crossed his arms and shook his head. "No. No, no, no and no."

"What? Come on!"

"No. We'll take care of it. I have a different chore for you."

"But-"

"No buts! Now where's the bracelet?", Meela scowled, now getting impatient herself. Jacques rolled his eyes. "It's on its way to London."

"How you know that?"

"We just do."

"Who has it?"

"Some woman and man. A kid was there, too."

Meela and Hafez exchanged glances. "Do you think it's them?", the woman asked. Hafez nodded. "For certain. That will be a problem. We must go to London."

They then began to gather everything, not noticing one black clad individual heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

 

A sigh was heard for the umpteenth time that evening. Rick couldn't take any more of Evelyn's rambling about the bracelet, her visions, and now some place called Ahm Shere. The ex-soldier had already been familiar with Ahm Shere and the bracelet, since he does indeed do his research. He wasn't as dumb as people thought. He liked to be prepared and aware.

"I think the bracelet's some guide to the lost oasis of Ahm Shere.", Evy claimed, turning to Rick who took off his coat once he settled down his suitcases. He already knew what Evelyn was up to the moment he caught the gleam in her eyes.

"Evy, I know what you're thinking. Trust me, I _know_. And before you say anything, the answer is  _no_. We just got home. And Alex has schoolwork to catch up on."

There was a faint "No, I don't!" from somewhere within the house. Rick just rolled his eyes.

Evelyn grinned, skipping happily over to the other and pinched his cheek in an adorable manner. "Oh you know Alex already is ahead. And we're already packed!"

"Give me one  _good_  reason why I should listen to you this time. One  _very good_  reason."

She mustered the most innocent face that she could, putting in puppy eyes for good measure. "It's just an oasis. A beautiful, exciting, sincere oasis."

Rick crossed his arms, looking at Evelyn with a look a mother would give her child. Like he would fall for her puppy eyes. Nope. He fell for it before, he'll admit that, way too many times. "Mhmm. The kind with the white sandy beach and palm trees? The cool, clear blue water? Oh, we could also have some of those big drinks with the little umbrellas, huh?"

"Yup! Wouldn't you like that? To actually relax? A vacation? You deserve it for raising Alex. He's a brilliant boy, Rick, but I know he can be a handful at times."

"Evelyn, Evelyn, Evelyn.", Rick sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders. "He can be a handful, but I have you and Jonathan. Also…" He pushed her back a little, a hard glare planted in his blues. "… that sounds way too good. What's the catch?"

"Supposedly the oasis is the resting place of Anubis' army.", she answered without missing a beat. Rick let her go, exhaling sharply. "See? I knew there's a catch. There's  _always_  a catch."

Evelyn shrugged, a bit satisfied that Rick didn't yell at her and that she did try. "Well, yeah."

Rick had started to head up the balcony, her following. "So let me guess. It was commanded, the army, by the Scorpion King guy?"

"Yes. And he only awakens once every 5000 years.", the librarian informed, placing her own coat in one of the wardrobes. Rick had leaned on the railing, a pout on his lips. "Right! And if someone doesn't kill him he's gonna wipe out the world."

"How'd you know?"

"I didn't. But that's always the story.", he smirked. He did know about that piece of information, since he read up on the Scorpion King when Evelyn mentioned the bracelet before they went off to find it. Again, be prepared and acknowledged. Though, he was right. That's always the story.

"The last known expedition to actually reach Ahm Shere was sent by Ramses the Fourth over 3000 years ago. He sent over one thousand men."

"And none of them was ever seen again."

Evelyn blinked. "How did you know?"

"I didn't. But that's always the story."

He was having fun now.

The brunette had picked up one of her bags and propped it on a chair, opening it and pulling out a book. She placed it on the shelf and turned back to the ex-soldier. "Did I mention there was a pyramid of gold?"

"Yup! Twice!", Rick answered, emphasizing his point with two fingers. "But I bet Jonathan would be glad to hear about that."

"Believe he would be. Everyone that knows about the pyramid seems pretty enchanted by it. Alexander the Great sent troops in search for it."

"Hooray for him."

"So did Caesar!"

"Yeah, and look what happened to his career. Now he has great salads."

"And Napoleon."

"But, Evelyn, we're smarter than that. And taller, too."

By now, Rick sensed that Evelyn was pushing the information to persuade him to embark on the journey to Ahm Shere. She was failing miserably though. All the guys she mentioned failed. What makes her think they won't either?

"Exactly, Rick. That's why we're gonna find it!", she claimed, reaching up and ruffling Rick's short locks. The brunet growled, shaking his head so his hair fell back into place. "Because we're taller…?", he lightly teased. "Maybe. Come on, Rick! It will be fun!"

"Nice try, sister. Nice try. But I'm still saying no. The last time we ever went in search of something we awaken a walking plague, people died, and my soul was almost combined with another's. Oh and did I mentioned the sexual harassment I went through?"

"Oh you know you liked it. Admit it, you felt faltered."

Rick blushed a little. "Eh. Maybe a little. But that doesn't matter now! The answer is still no!"

Just below them, Alex was carrying the bracelet's chest, grumbling about it. "This sucker weighs a goddang ton!"

His father suddenly leaned down over the balcony, catching his words. "Alex, watch your language!"

Alex chuckled a bit, sparing the older male an apologetic look. "Rather weighty, this."

He settled the chest down on a table and turned to walk away from it. His attention, however, was snagged back when the chest suddenly clicked open. Blues widened, realizing that the chest did so without a key. Okay…

* * *

"We should go in this way."

"Why? I can't climb through a window. Let alone in a dress and heels."

"No one told you to put on a dress and heels, did they?"

"Oh just shut up and go open the back door for me."

* * *

"Hey, Evy, that first weird dream of yours happened six weeks ago, right?", Rick had questioned, eying through a book in his hands. Evelyn had glanced his way, nodding. "I think so, yes. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"I think I know why you're so determined to go to Ahm Shere. Your dreams just so happen to coincide with the Egyptian New Year."

To prove his point, he revealed the pages of the book he was reading, showing a scorpion on it with ancient Egyptian writing. Evelyn mouthed an 'oh', amazed. "Year of the Scorpion. I forgotten about that. Huh. That is a coincidence."

"Yeah. Maybe it is. Which proves we should be cautious this time around.", Rick pressed, placing the book down to put his hands on Evelyn's arms. He looked her straight in the eyes, seriousness, but a hint of fright within them. "If anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

With the two talking, they didn't notice that their youngest family member had found interest in the now revealed golden bracelet. Alex had picked it up, debating on putting it on before it had seemed to have automatically did so itself. He felt a strange tingle in his body before the bracelet glow gold and then flashed a translucent picture of a temple then whooshing through the desert to a place he familiarized as Karnak. It then disappeared, freaking out the youngster.

"Oh my damn…", he whispered before trying to get the bracelet off.

Rick haven't noticed yet.

"You are family to me, Evy. You, Jonathan and Alex. I haven't known the feeling of a family until I met you eight years ago, and I be damned to lose it. You matter to me very much."

"I know. I guess I got carried away with the whole Anubis' army and bracelet thing. It just sounds so exciting! But I guess I should hold off from the adventures for a while. Bembridge scholars have been begging me to run the British museum.", Evelyn voiced. Rick patted her arms before letting her go. "I say accept it. I think you'll do a very excellent job at being the curator. Besides, there not that many women who are one. So this is a major opportunity."

"Very major indeed. Can I have a hug?"

Rick rolled his eyes, but complied anyways with a small smile. "I swear you remind me of a little kitten sometimes."

"Because I'm adorable?"

"I was going to say a bit bratty, but that, too."

"Oh whatever."

"And speaking of which, I better go find Jonathan. I haven't heard from him yet. Think you can watch Alex for me?"

"Of course! My favorite nephew!"

"He's your only nephew, Evy." Rick then looked down at Alex, who was sitting on the table with an innocent smile on, but sweat running down the base of his neck. Oh he was going to be in trouble. "Alex, behave yourself for five minutes, okay? And get off that table!"

"You betcha, Dad!", Alex squealed, jumping down to his feet as his aunt came down the stairs.

"Hey, Alex. Happy to be home?"

"Couldn't be happier.", he chuckled, feeling his left wrist become heavier with both the bracelet and shame. Something told him not to do it. But it was just so tempting! He really was his aunt's nephew. Despite not being blood related.

"So uh… what were you and Dad talking about?"

"Apparently it's the year of the Scorpion. Neat, isn't it?"

"Very much so."

"Thought you might like that."

* * *

Upstairs in another part of the O'Connell-Carnahan household, a door to a bedroom opened, revealing another member to the family. Jonathan was just leaving his room, dressed to go out for the night with a golden slender object in his hands. It was one of his favorite items left from the treasure they had gotten and he practically kept it on his person at all times. It was his… don't judge!

"Hm… I wonder if Rick and them are back yet. Maybe found more treasure or something.", he muttered to himself before two men came out from hiding in one of the rooms. Jonathan halted in his steps and gulped. "Um… I think I'm in the wrong house?", he chuckled nervously, stepping back. The robed duo exchanged glances. "Um… I thought this was the house?"

"It is."

"Okay then."

They then grabbed Jonathan and pulled him into the room, forcing down into the chair as Hafez appeared, taking a stand in front of Jonathan. "Um… you're… you're not Shelia's husband, are you?", he asked, scared. "I told her I didn't make any pass at her and I'm not interested in her."

"No. I'm not Shelia's husband.", Hafez deadpanned.

"Well, if you work for Johnny-"

"I don't know any Johnny! We're looking for the bracelet of Anubis."

"I haven't seen it."

"You're lying. Where is it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! I haven't got any bracelet!"

"Mr. O'Connell, you're trying my patience.", Hafez hissed. Jonathan blinked. "What? I'm not Mr. O'Connell… nor am I married to him."

"You're lying!"

"No I am not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"I'm not him or do I have the bracelet!", Jonathan protested, pointing the golden rod towards Hafez. The curator had taken offense to that, but that quickly washed away when he had seem amazed by the golden item Jonathan held. He snatched it from the younger man, ogling it in its glory. "No, it can't be!"

"Hey, give that back!", Jonathan protested and tried to get up to retrieve it, but a knife was jolted in front of his neck and he was forced back down into the chair.

Meela had then emerged into the room, holding a basket with only who knows what in it.

"Hello.", she greeted sweetly. Jonathan gulped, not taking a liking to her mischievous grin. "Um… hello?"

"So where is she? Your wife?", the dark clad woman questioned, setting down the basket.

Jonathan frowned. "Evy? You mean Evy? My _sister_? Well… um… I think she went off to Baden-Baden or Tibet or something. That girl is a free spirit after all. Oh, did I mention that I'm not married to her or Rick?! Or am I not him either?! How did you even assume that?! Isn't there a picture or something you could have seen?!"

The group glanced at each other, sharing baffled looks. "He's right."

"Whatever.", Hafez scoffed just as Meela opened the basket and pulled out a long black snake. It hissed as she kissed it gently, her smirk still plastered on her face.

* * *

"Alex, I mean it about the key! You better not have lost it! Your father will be very disappointed in you.", Evelyn scowled, checking Alex's pockets. The blonde rolled his eyes. "Aunt Evy, I didn't lose it. I just can't find it. There's a difference."

"No there isn't. I'm serious though."

"Why give me the key anyways?"

"Honestly? I don't know."

"Hello."

The duo turned as Lock-Nah walked into the room. Being as intimidating as usual. Alex and Evelyn exchanged looks, blinking and turning back to the robed man. "Um… know him, Aunt Evy?", Alex asked.

Evelyn scoffed. "Does it look like I know him?"

"N-no. Maybe Dad knows him."

"I doubt that."

"Look, cut the chit-chat of whether or not you know me. Now I'm looking for the bracelet."

Alex immediately grabbed onto the chest while Evelyn retrieved a sword from the wall. She spent her time reading hieroglyphs, dusting, and watching out for traps. She be damned if someone is going to take it from her. "Get the hell out of my house!", she demanded.

Lock-Nah crossed his arms, not feeling the least bit scared.

"I won't hurt you if you pass over the bracelet."

"Um, no."

"Want to do this the hard way?"

On cue, other men walked into the room. Evelyn and Alex gulped. "Uh… is there another option?"

"No. No, there isn't. Now hand over the bracelet!"

"All be damned, no."

At the sound of a familiar voice, Evelyn and Alex looked to their right to see Ardeth walk in, all in his fine warrior glory. Dark isn't always evil, but be damned, it was sexy.

"Hi, Uncle Ardeth!", Alex greeted happily. Ardeth patted his blond locks before scowling at Lock-Nah.

"Lock-Nah."

"Ardeth Bay. Surprised to see me again?"

"Not really. But I can't say I'm happy either."

"Same to you, old friend."

"Never friends."

"Whatever. Now look, are you going to hand over the bracelet?"

The sole woman in the room shook her head. "Uh-uh. I have been through hell and back getting this bracelet. Do you know how hard it is not to cry when you're being lectured by your proclaimed brother/Mother Hen? Do you? It's not pretty!"

"Oh yeah. Dad can get a bit hysterical when yelling at you for being stupid or something. Makes you want to curl up in a corner and think about your life.", Alex agreed.

Lock-Nah blinked. How… how were these the people who defeated Imhotep?

"Never mind that! Hand it over!"

"Nope! Alex, get the chest and run!", Ardeth demanded, blocking the starting sword swing.

* * *

"No! No! No! Please, don't! I told you I don't know about any damned bracelet! Please let me go!", Jonathan sobbed, as Meela brought the snake closer to his throat. He was praying, praying hard to any gods right now.

"Just tell us where it is.", Hafez shrugged.

"What's the point of killing me then if I never tell you where the bracelet is?! And I'm not lying about that!"

"Oh, it's what bad guys do.", Shafek, one of the robed cronies, voiced shyly just as the doors burst opened.

"Jonathan! Are you… hello…", Rick trailed, entering the room and noticing the red robes, a familiar curator and a woman dressed in black with a snake in her hands. Rick crossed his arms, a stern glare on, and looking like bit of a sassy woman. "Jonathan, what did I say about wild parties?"

"Well, when you're popular.", Jonathan chuckled nervously, trying to be comfortable with the blade to his neck.

Meela stood up straight, feeling every bit of weary of Rick, recognizing him from somewhere. He looked her way and their eyes met with a rivalry spark. All the visions from eight years ago came back rushing into his mind. In an instant, they realized they were once again standing face to face after many, many years.

"YOU!", they both scowled. Rick stepped back, now feeling anger within his chest just as Meela was.

"Now I have certain rules within this household about dismemberment and snakes! And I certain have rules about evil reincarnated women! Let him go and leave!"

Meela threw the snake, aiming for Rick's face. It looked as if she got him, too, but he stood back up with the snake, holding it like an expert and grinning like one. She huffed in disappointment. "Damn."

"Second time in the row I've been attacked with a snake. Let's see how you like it!" Meela ducked with a yelp when the snake was tossed back. The black creature landed on one of the cronies, immediately biting him from being suddenly thrown. It was scared really. Another crony tossed a knife Rick's way. He dodged it with ease, some of his ancient reincarnated instincts coming in, and catching with just a pinch. He threw it back, only for it to be dodged by Shafek who looked at him in fright and amazement and the weapon to land in the chest of someone else. Jonathan was released in the midst of it and ran over to Rick. "Jonathan, what the hell is going on? Who are those people?", Rick hissed as the two took shelter in a nearby bathroom. Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know. They came asking about some bracelet."

"Damn. It's probably the bracelet Evelyn and I found."

Bullets were then flying through the door. Rick ducked in a corner while Jonathan took cover in a tub already filled with bubbles and water. Why it was being anyone's guess.

* * *

"Go, Aunt Evy! Go!"

"Alex!"

Evelyn skillfully dodged a sword, kicking back the man with a grunt. Alex was hiding next to a bookshelf as he watched his proclaimed uncle and aunt fight effortlessly. "Seriously, where did you learn to fight like that?" The woman whacked another on the back of his head, blocking an incoming blade with her own. "I have no idea. But…" She head-butted another man. "… that I learned from your father."

Lock-Nah and Ardeth were going back and forth with their swords, the smaller of the two ducking and dodging. "Honestly, why so mean?", the magi questioned as Lock-Nah gave him a cut on his arm. The taller smirked, grabbing Ardeth and holding his sword to his neck. "Because it's fun. Now are you ready to die?"

"Nope! Yoink!"

Ardeth stomped on Lock-Nah's foot, making him jump in pain and letting him go in the process. Alex laughed. "Ha! He got… Aunt Evy, watch out!"

Evelyn turned, just as a crony hit her, knocking her out. He caught her before she hit the floor and slung her over the shoulder. Ardeth went to chase after him, but Lock-Nah grazed his arm again, pushing him back in the process. The magi fell back against a wall, holding his arm. He looked up and dodged in time before a sharp small weapon went into his eye, imprinting in the wall. Lock-Nah and the bad guys quickly exit the room, chest also at hand. Quite dramatically, too. Alex ran to Ardeth's aid. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you, but first, let's go find your father."

* * *

 

Rick had emerged from the corner once the bullets had stopped. Apparently, they had to reload to start shooting again. He knew. "Jonathan! Jonathan!"

From the sound of his name, said man popped up out the tub, bubbles covering him and now soaking to the bone. Rick grabbed him by the collar, pissed now. Truly, it was about the damaged door and unwanted visitors. "What the hell did you do this time?!", he demanded, now sounding like a very angry woman. Jonathan gulped. "I-I didn't do nothing to anybody! I swear! I just… hey!"

Jonathan leaned down and grabbed the rolling golden rod that came from beneath the door. Apparently, on the other side, Hafez dropped it and it was accidentally kicked.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Come on!"

Gunshots were being fired again then. The duo jumped out the window, landing on the balcony below. Rick dizzily got up. "Whoa. Thank goodness there was a lounge chair there."

"Rick! Bad guys! Guns!"

The gunslinger jumped over the balcony, Jonathan following quickly, narrowly missing being shot.

The two ran across the yard, dodging the bullets. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!", Jonathan squealed. The two came to a halt when they spotted a car driving away. When the car was closer, Evelyn popped out from the back window. "Rick! Jonathan! I'm being kidnapped!", she screamed in alarm before being pulled back into the car. Rick and Jonathan went to make chase, but then another car came as did more bullets. The duo hid behind a statue to avoid being shot. It soon stopped, allowing the two to catch their breaths. "I swear! This is all the way f-"

"Dad!"

Alex and Ardeth came across the yard, the youngest running into Rick's arms and hugging him. "Oh my god, Alex. Are you alright? Did they hurt you? If they hurt you, someone's getting a bullet up their-"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! But they got Aunt Evy!", Alex interrupted a second time. Rick nodded. "I know. She just informed me of that."

His blue eyes then glimpsed up at Ardeth, not paying no mind to the way he was looking at Jonathan, who was blushing under the stare. "What are you doing here, Ardeth? Actually, scratch that. I don't care. I'm more curious about who in the hell are those guys and where are they taking Evelyn?"

Ardeth took his eyes off of Jonathan for a moment. "Hm? Oh, right. Um… I'm not sure, but wherever this man is…", he started, taking out a picture of Hafez. "… Evelyn surely will be."

Alex then snatched the picture. He gasped, recognizing the man in it. "Hey, I know him. He's the curator of the British Museum. Mr. Hafez! Dad, he's a bad guy now?"

"Maybe, Alex."

"Yeah. He had a knife at my neck.", Jonathan added in as the four began heading to Rick's car. Ardeth had placed his hand on Jonathan's shoulder, following the father-son duo.

"Okay, you're here. The bad guys are here. And Evy's been kidnapped. And I just so happened to have come across a woman from my ancient past. Let me guess…", Rick sassed. He knew what… or actually who was about to be risen again. This time it was going to be intentional.

The magi nodded. "Yes, they once again removed the creature from his grave."

"I don't mean to point fingers, but isn't that your job to make sure that doesn't happen?!", Jonathan asked in bafflement. How did the Medjai let this happen a second time?

"I know, I know. We're terrible. But that woman who was with Hafez, she knows things that no living person could possibly know."

"I reckon. She recognized me.", Rick agreed.

"She knew exactly where the creature was buried. We were hoping she would lead us to the bracelet. She obviously did and now they have it.", Ardeth finished as they stopped at Rick's car.

Alex chuckled nervously. "Yeah… I wouldn't get too nervous just yet."

The older three watched as the boy roll up his jacket sleeve and reveal the Bracelet of Anubis attached to his wrist. Jonathan's eyes widened. "Is that gold?"

"When I stuck it on, I saw the pyramids at Giza. Then whoosh! Straight across the desert to Karnak!", Alex added. He glimpsed at his father and saw the glint of seriousness in his eyes. Oh no. Ardeth winced. "By putting that on, you have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse."

Alex gasped. "Really?!"

Rick smacked the back of Ardeth's head. "OW! O'Connell!"

"You, lighten up."

He crossed his arms and glared at Alex. "You, big trouble." Then to Jonathan. "You, get in the car."

The four piled in, Rick getting in the driver's seat and taking off once everyone is settled in.

Down the road, Ardeth spoke again. "I'm sorry if I alarmed your son, but you must understand. Now that the bracelet is on his wrist, we have only seven days before the Scorpion King awakens."

Rick groaned. "Oh, damn. Another big bad? And what a coincidence! The very bracelet Alex has on his wrist is his and the fact it is the Year of the Scorpion!"

"I know it sucks. If he is not killed, he will raise the Army of Anubis."

"I take it that's not a good thing.", Jonathan winced.

The brunet turned and nodded at him. "Oh, he'll wipe out the world."

"Ah, the old 'wipe out the world' ploy."

"Familiar, isn't it?"

"I bet there's also some 'unrequited romance' as well."

"Agreed."

Ardeth rolled his eyes, even though he found the small talk amusing. "Anyways, whomever can kill the Scorpion King can send his army back to the Underworld. Or use it to destroy mankind and rule the Earth."

"So that's why they dug up our old friend, Imhotep.", Rick concluded.

"In your case, 'boyfriend'.", Jonathan teased as Alex blinked. "Boyfriend? Dad, you had a boyfriend?"

"No! Shut up, Jonathan! Although, he's the only guy tough enough to take out the Scorpion King."

"That's their plan.", Ardeth added with a shrug. Rick sighed. The last thing he wanted was to see  _him_  again. For the past eight years, Imhotep never crossed his mind, not even for a second. He wanted to forget him and bury that with his ancient life. He was still uneasy about being the reincarnation of a training Medjai who was also the pharaoh's right hand man, a Seer apparently, someone people of Egypt thought was cursed, and Imhotep's first love. He admitted to himself that he felt sorry for Imhotep, hell gave him a kiss to show it, but he didn't… he didn't want to become his lover. And honestly, Rishid seem resisting in his visions at first.

Either way, Rick didn't care to or even had the nerves to tolerate this again. And by any means necessary, if Imhotep decides to kiss him again all hell shall be released!

* * *

The car was soon parked in front of the British Museum. Rick turned around and glanced at his son. "Alex, I got a big job for you."

"What is it?", Alex asked, hoping it was something exciting.

"Stay here and protect the car."

A frown. Jonathan piped up. "I can do that!" He honestly didn't want to go in there, guns blazing and whatnot. Not really his forte. But Alex seem to be into that. "Protect the car? Come on, Dad. Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I'm stupid.", he deadpanned.

Rick gave a small smile. "I know, Alex. I just don't want you hurt." He ruffled Alex's blond locks before kissing his forehead. "Dad!"

"Eh."

Jonathan sat back, a pout on his lips. He had the feeling he was going to be forced into shooting and dodging mummies… again. "Alex, if you see anyone coming out screaming, it's just me."

Rick quickly turned back around. "Maybe you should stay here and watch him."

"Yes, now you're talking!"

Ardeth chuckled. "Yes. We don't need another Carnahan in distress."

"No. No, you don't. But I expect you to come and rescue me, huh?", Jonathan teased lightly, leaning forward to Ardeth who was turned in his seat to look at him. The magi leaned in closer as well. "You could count on it." The two engaged in a silent staring contest. Rick and Alex exchanged puzzled, blue glances and then back at the other two.

"…"

"Dad?"

"I know, son. I know. I'm confused, too. They seem to be… oh!" Rick's confused pout formed into a Cheshire Cat grin. "Oh, I see."

"What? What? I want to know, too!"

The gunslinger ruffled his son's hair again. "I'll tell you when you're a bit older. Ardeth!"

"Huh? What?", the magi voiced, snapping out of his trance. Rick grabbed onto his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Come on. We got a trouble magnet to save. You can make goo-goo eyes at Jonathan later."

Ardeth grumbled under his breath as the two got out the car. Rick skipped around to the trunk and opened it, revealing the many weapons he had there. Ardeth looked at him, the weapons and back at him. "You're always prepared for situations like this?"

Rick twirled a knife in his hand before sticking it in a case. "Can't always be too prepared. Want a shotgun?"

"I actually prefer the Thompson."

"Suit yourself."

The two started prepping the guns, placing bullets in guns and arming themselves for the rescue. In the midst of it, Ardeth's dark gaze caught sight of the brunet's uncovered tattoo. "Hm."

"What?"

"I have a question. If I were to say to you, I'm a stranger traveling from the east, seeking that which is lost..."

Rick looked up, finishing off the riddle that seem familiar to him. "… then I would reply that I am a stranger traveling from the west. It is I whom you seek. How… how…"

"You really are Rishid's reincarnation. It is true." Ardeth gestured to the tattoo. "You have the sacred mark."

The brunet looked at his marking. "What, this? No, that got slapped on me in an orphanage in Cairo."

"Believe that if you want. That mark means you're a protector of man, warrior for God, a Medjai. Just as Rishid was."

"You know, when Imhotep was buried underneath all that rumble, I buried that with him as well. Ardeth, I may be a reincarnation of Rishid, but I don't want to follow into that path anymore."

"I know it's all overbearing for you, but fate wants you to embrace it. You can't forget that even if you want to."

Rick pouted. "Apparently not. It's almost as if I'm living in a shadow."

"No. You're living in a light. Rishid's light. Imhotep fell for him for a reason."

"Don't remind me."

Ardeth shrugged. "Well, it happened."

"Uh-huh. Now let's go."

The duo, armed and loaded, quietly entered into the museum, guns pointed and ready to shoot at anything unusual. Rick spoke up again. "So what's the deal with you and Jonathan?"

Ardeth halted in his steps. "Um…"

"You like him, don't you? Don't deny it. How long?"

"For a while."

"That seem like more than 'a while', Mr. Magi."

Ardeth bit his lip, clearing his throat and then mumbling something. Rick placed his arms around the magi's neck from behind, a mischievous kitty grin on. "Hm? What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Since Hamunaptra."

"Eight years?! Are you crazy?! You could have been married by now!"

"Shush! You might alarm someone. Also, Jonathan doesn't feel the same way about me."

"Oh please. That guy  _wants_  you. He  _desires_  you, my friend.", Rick scoffed, getting back into a defensive stance. "We'll be talking about this later. We got bad guys to kill and a librarian to save!"

* * *

Just not too deep into the museum within a large room, a waking ritual was just getting started. Many of the red robed men were bowing in sync while Lock-Nah walked into the room with two lines of men walking behind him, a few of them carrying an unconscious Evelyn who was indeed tied up and laying on a board. Apparently, Lock-Nah had his shirt off for this which is beyond anyone's guess as to why and probably for a dramatic effect. Or it could be that it was hot. There was a lot of candles lit anyways and a huge fire going on. So it could be that. Not that the man had a bad body because he didn't but… okay. Okay, back to it!

Anyways, just in the center of the room was Imhotep's golden granite mold, Hafez standing in front of him chanting while he read from the Book of the Dead. He was doing fine really, doing a great job at the chanting, not missing a beat and really put some effort into it. But props have to go to the man kneeling down, holding the book on his shoulders and upper back like he was some pedestal. Award him, please!

Evy was settled down abruptly, jolting her out of her unconscious state. She moaned awake, opening her eyes and realizing she was tied up as she sat up. "What in the hell? Is this some cult stuff or what?", she teased, looking about her surroundings. She spotted the curator of the museum and was a bit taken back. "Mr. Hafez?! You're a bad guy now?! My nephew knows you! Shame on you, Hafez! Shame!"

Hafez just ignored her and continued with the chant. Evelyn's attention was averted to the golden prison casting in the room. Her eyes widened when she realized what was going on. "Oh. They found  _him_."

* * *

Down the darkened hall, Ardeth and Rick crept, listening to the distant chanting. The gunslinger suddenly gasped, tumbling back a bit just a bit as a dizzy spell resurfaced from years ago.

"O'Connell? Are you okay?", the magi asked, helped Rick back to his feet. The brunet exhaled sharply as he felt some spark in his body. "We're getting close. He's-"

"AAAHH!"

"Whoa! Whoa!"

The duo quickly backed away as several of the mummies woken up, shrieking shrilly. Luckily, the majority of them were in glass castings and had no idea how to get out. Rick laughed at the predicament. "Ha! Silly mummies…"

* * *

Hafez was now getting louder with the chant, raising his hands, shaking them as the mold began to break. Evelyn propped her arms up on her thighs to plant her chin within her palms, completely out of patience of the cliché of the situation and boredom. "Just get out of that thing already."

On cue, Imhotep, mummified, broke out completely, roaring at being woken. He looked around, noticing the red robed cronies and how they were bowing to him. Evelyn winced. "I take it back. Please go back in the little granite cast thingy."

" **What year is it?"** , Imhotep asked in his native tongue.

" **My Lord, it is the Year of the Scorpion."** , Hafez answered, the mummy's focus now on him. It freaked him out, honestly it did, but he pledged to serve the mummy and help him control the Army of Anubis and defeat the Scorpion King. It wasn't so easy being a bad guy just as much as it was being a good one.

Imhotep looked almost shocked at the information.  **"It is true?"**

" **Yes."**

The mummy chuckled, grateful that he was awaken in time for it. Oh, how he wanted revenge now. He only wanted to raise back his dead girlfriend! Well… boyfriend since she was forgotten the moment Rick was seen.

The doors to the room suddenly opened and everyone turned to see Meela walking down the aisle in her fancy, glitz and glamour getup on. Evelyn had gotten a brief chill and saw Meela's features change to gold, black and jewelry. She appeared as an Egyptian royal for just a while before looking more modern. The slightly darker woman stopped in front of Imhotep, who easily recognized her. Okay, let's toss Rishid out the window now! She seems more accepting! Hafez stepped up just a bit. "Do not be frightened.", he advised. Meela gave him a questioning look. "Do I look every bit of frightened? Nope!"

She turned back to Imhotep, love glittering in her dark eyes.  **"I am Anck-su-namun reincarnated."**

Imhotep, enchanted by her beauty and feeling the love for her once again, approached her, fingers lightly gripping her hair as he began circling her.  **"Only in body. But soon I shall bring your soul back from the Underworld and our love shall once again be whole."** , he promised, staring at her with an adoring look that she gave back. He wished that eight years ago Rick would have done the same. Then again, he wasn't the one the mummy was cursed for.

And speaking of whom…

* * *

Up on a balcony, hidden, Ardeth and Rick stood. The gunslinger sighed. "You know, a couple of years this all would've seemed really strange to me.", he sassed, feeling another spell now that the awaken Imhotep was in his clear view. Although he already despised the woman, he was glad Meela, the reincarnated Anck-su-namun, decided to return Imhotep's love. He was still iffy about being the said mummy's reincarnated first lover.

Ardeth patted his back softly. "My friend, it is still strange."

"You said it. At least I'm not having… oh! Spoke too soon."

Rick unexpectedly leaned forward, almost falling over the bars if Ardeth didn't pull him in time. His unconscious body was settled down behind a large box where the two hid from site just as Hafez looked up. He saw no one, shrugged and made his way over to Lock-Nah.

The magi mapped out Rick's face and saw that he was in a deep trance. "Crap. Great, perfect time to have a vision, O'Connell."

* * *

_**The sun had just risen in the sky, making whatever that laid before him glow a bright gold, almost blinding him. Covering his eyes, he mapped out his surrounding and realizing there was a large pyramid, a golden pyramid. It stood proudly within the middle of what seem to be a forest.** _

" _ **What… where…"**_

_**There was a sudden, harsh pain from within the pit of his stomach. He looked down and saw a knife embedded within him. He slowly looked up and caught the smirking, sinister visage of Meela, who looked more like Anck-su-namun than ever. She pulled out the knife walking away as he fell to his knees just as a shout was heard.** _

* * *

"N-mmphf!"

Rick was taken by surprise by the hand covering his mouth, but quickly noting where they were, he settled down. Ardeth removed his hand. "O'Connell, I know you just woken up from a vision, but do not give away our position."

"Sorry. It was sudden."

"What did you see?"

The brunet glared down between the bars, his icy blues targeting Meela. "Her."

* * *

Down below, the evil doers, because that's what they were, stayed clueless to the duo and more focused with the task at hand. Hafez stood next to Lock-Nah, still shirtless, who was opening the chest with a syringe of acid. "Lord Imhotep will be much pleased.", the curator assured as the chest opened. The two gasped, expecting the bracelet, but finding just a small statue of what looked to be some baseball player. "The hell?!", Lock-Nah growled.

Hafez winced, knowing that they were all in deep shit now. "Where is it? Where could the bracelet be?!"

Lock-Nah's mind clicked, a clue as to where the ancient bracelet just be resting. "I think I know."

* * *

 

"At the very top…"

"You know you really shouldn't be sitting on your father's car."

"He won't know if you don't tell."

Back outside, Alex, sitting on Rick's car, and Jonathan standing beside him had continued to wait for the others and decided to chat to pass the time. It felt like forever.

"At the very top of the gold pyramid, there is a huge diamond.", Alex informed, having Jonathan's complete attention at the mention of a diamond and gold. "Huge? How huge?"

"It's so big, it would reflect the sun and wink at distant travelers, beckoning them to their deaths."

Jonathan's eyes got real big. "R-really?"

"Yes. It is said that any man who has seen it has found themselves within Ahm Shere where they never return from."

"How does anyone know any of this?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. It's written in the books for all I know."

* * *

Back to the inside!

" **I have a gift for you."** , Meela cooed, gesturing over to Evelyn who looked now on the defensive when the mummy noticed her. Imhotep glared at her, remembering that she was the one that read the spell that put him to his second death. He thought it was a little unfair since she was the one to awaken him. How in the world are you gonna awaken someone and then put them back? Who does that?

" **HER?! THAT WENCH?!"**

"Hey, I can still understand you, Imhotep!", the librarian hissed, feeling a bit offended. He had the right to hate her, but geez. Be a bit subtler about it.

" **I knew it would please you to watch her die."** Meela snapped her fingers. Evelyn jerked in surprise when she was suddenly lifted. She tried getting off the board but she was grabbed and forced back down. "NO! GET OFF! BACK! BACK, HEATHENS!"

"No use, Mrs. O'Connell!", Shafek shouted. Evelyn scoffed. "I'm not married to him, dimwit! He's like a brother! And a mother on some occasions… but you catch my drift!" Hearing the crackling of fire, Evelyn slowly turned as if she was in a horror movie and stared wide eyed at the flames within a large bowl. Oh… slow death? Wow, Imhotep really did want his enemies to know how he felt. Yet… he didn't know about this. Dude just woke up.

" **The Underworld awaits you."** , Imhotep chuckled. Evelyn glared at him.

"YOU WAIT! I'LL PUT YOU IN YOUR GRAVE AGAIN!", she threatened.

Hafez stepped up to her once the men stopped in front of the fire. "Our thinking was, not if we put you in your grave first."

"THEN I'LL COME BACK AS A MUMMY AND HUNT ALL OF YOU DOWN! ESPECIALLY YOU, MR. HAFEZ! DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!"

"Burn her!", Meela commanded.

Evelyn shouted as she was lifted and was about to be tossed within the fire.

By a miracle, Rick sprouted from over the flames and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder. "YOINK, BITCHES!" The men fell back as Rick landed on the board, jumping off and quickly taking cover as Ardeth began shooting like a maniac. Imhotep glanced about, trying to make of the sudden turn of events and only came to the conclusion that he was very much pissed.

* * *

"Oh damn! It has happened!", Jonathan shouted, trying to open the car door in panic. Alex started freaking out, too, hearing the distant gunshots and hoping the best for the others. "Open it! Open it!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying, Alex!"

"Try harder!"

"I'm the adult! Don't shout at me!"

"Well, you're being a baby!"

"Argh! Shut up!"

* * *

While bullets were now being shot back and forth, Hafez was trying his best not to get shot. He didn't need any bullet up his ass today. Meela and Lock-Nah were shooting at Ardeth, who was wishing that Rick would hurry up already. Behind a crate, said gunslinger was cutting Evelyn's restraints, giving her a gun. "What is with you and making yourself the trouble magnet?"

"Hey, it's not like I'm trying to win an award for it."

"You had me fooled."

"Meanie."

"Thank you."

Both Evelyn and Rick stepped from behind the crate and began shooting at the cronies, stepping back in the process for their escape. Shafek had ducked in time as some of the bullets hit a flammable chemical, setting the others on fire, resulting two of them flying off as if they were like birds. More small explosions happened, making the whole scene seem chaotic. Ardeth served as cover as Evelyn and Rick made their way up the stairs. Halfway there, the brunet halted as wooziness transcended through his body. He turned and stared wide eyed just as his blue gaze met Imhotep's dark one. "Oh God…", Rick whimpered, realizing that the two were once again face to face as they were eight years ago and thousands before then.

" **YOU!"**

"Look, Imhotep, I know you're upset before I not only rejected you, ran from you many times, and then killed you, but at least you got your girlfriend, Anck-su-namun. She loves you. Now you can have what you always wanted."

" **I wanted you!"**

"I know! I know! But-"

"Rick, you're not going to hold a conversation with him again! We have an escape to make!", Evelyn reminded from behind. "Right! See ya!"

Imhotep was just about to approach him, but Rick shot him in the shoulder before running off. The mummy was displeased with this. Alright, he wanted to play like that, he fucking got it.

He turned around, pushing some of the robed men out the way.

* * *

Alex and Jonathan were now in the car, both giddy with fright and unable to sit as the older of the two tried to start the car. But that was hard to do when you had some kid screaming at you. "Come on! Come on! Come on!"

"Alex, shut-"

SNAP!

The two stilled as they realized that the key broke… meaning not only the car now couldn't start without it, they were pretty much fresh out of luck since neither didn't know how to hotwire a car. And also… Rick was gonna be pissed. "You broke it! You broke it! You broke it!", Alex shrieked, knowing his dad was gonna be kicking asses later. Jonathan flicked his forehead. "Quiet, Alex! If there's gonna be hysterics, they'll come from me!"

"Dad's going to kill us both! Oh man! We should go down to the cemetery and dig out plots now!"

"Alex, let's not think about that."

"It's hard not to when you know it's going to come. His anger is like a plague descending upon all of Egypt! You witnessed plagues, haven't you?!"

"Yeah! You're right! Rick is going to kill us!"

The two jumped out the car, hyperventilating from the near limit of pissing their pants. "What are we gonna do?! What are we gonna do?!"

"You're asking me? I'm only eight years old for cripes sake!"

"You're in much trouble as I am!"

"You broke the key!"

"Only because you were shouting in my ear making me panic!"

"Hope you can explain that to Dad!"

"I'll be throwing you under the bus as well!"

HONK! HONK!

The two looked forward, a light bulb clicking on.

* * *

Rick and Evelyn hurried went up the stairs, meeting up with Ardeth who looked pleased at the number of guys running around on fire. "Ardeth, I got your sister-in-law!", the reincarnation shouted. Ardeth stammered as Evelyn looked confused. "Quiet!"

The trio's attention was on sudden alert at the sound of Imhotep growling. They watched as he picked up an urn, starting up a chant that they knew meant bad news.  **"Collect your bones! Gather your limbs! Shake the earth from your flesh!"**  Dust flew out, forming into four piles.

" **YOUR MASTER IS HERE!"**

Those piles… became mummies. The trio groaned, now angry. "Not these guys again!", Rick hissed.

Imhotep pointed at them.  **"DESTORY THEM!"**

The three immediately hauled ass, ignoring the still awake mummies trying to come out of their glass castings. Some looked as if they actually gave up, too. "I officially hate my life!", Rick shouted as they came out the museum and back to the outside. Evelyn had halted and backtracked to the door, pulling a bench in front of it. The gunslinger ran back to her, pinching her arm. "Ow!"

"Evy, what are you doing? These guys don't use doors!", he reminded, pulling her along as they started to run again. They rounded the corner, spotting Rick's car only to find it wasn't in motion to go and it was empty. And the trunk was opened?

"Where the hell is Jonathan and Alex?!"

On cue, a horn was heard. The trio was baffled seeing Jonathan driving up in a…

"Double-decker bus, Jonathan?", Evelyn questioned, climbing onboard. She cared less really. They needed to go and they needed to go now. But Rick wanted to be dramatic. "What's the matter with my car? And why is the trunk open?"

"Well… we were forced to find an alternative means of transportation.", Jonathan answered while Alex popped up, holding a large bundle. "And we thought to grab the weapons at last minute."

"Alex, put down the weapons. You could hurt yourself. But really… a double-decker bus?!"

"It was his idea!", the older Carnahan sibling accused, pointing at Alex.

The blonde scoffed. "No it wasn't!"

"Was to it was!"

"Who broke-"

"Um… it was my idea."

Alex crossed his arms, smirking. "Thought so."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Just drive!", he demanded, landing on the back platform. He hung off the pole watching as the mummies broke through the wall of the museum. "See, Evy? Told you they don't use doors!"

"Whatever!"

The mummies spotted the escaping group and made chase. They decided to be jerks in the process and jumped onto Rick's car, smashing it to bits with their strength. Rick whined. "No! Not my damn car! All that space where you could have run and you chose to be jerks and waste time ruining my car! You asses!", he scowled before getting into the bus and glaring at the four mummies through the back window. "Oh I hate mummies.", he hissed, glaring at the four mummies who chased after the bus. Ardeth smirked, cocking the gun in his hands. "Glad to see me now?"

"You bet I am! And I'm sure Jonathan is, too!"

"What about me?", said man asked. Ardeth glared at Rick who giggled before heading up to the upper deck of the bus. "Nothing, Jonathan! Just drive!"

Rick took a seat in the back at the opened window of the bus. He began shooting at the mummies, getting one in the ankle, but the bastard did a twirl and then jumped onto a pillar of a building, the other three following his example. The gunslinger sighed, rolling his eyes. "You got to be kidding!"

He spotted one of the mummies jumping off the wall and into the lower part of the bus. He peeked down and caught Ardeth shooting like a maniac again and then pieces of the mummy falling onto the road. "Great job shooting, Ardeth!", he teased. Ardeth waved him off.

Another mummy pounced onto the bus, about to climb into the window, but Rick blew him to bits in one shot. The brunet blinked at the unexpected result of the shot and looked down at the shotgun in his hands. "I love this gun!" THUMP!

Rick spotted a dent within the bus's roof, made by the third mummy's foot. He cocked his gun, realizing it was out of bullets just as the mummy started punching holes in the roof. "No! No! Please not now!", he whined, starting to load the gun. The mummy ripped the roof off and jumped down just as Rick had gotten the gun loaded. He knocked the weapon out of his hands and pushed Rick down. "Ow! Way to treat your master's ex-lover!", he hissed as the mummy pulled him by his ankles down the aisle. Rick flipped onto his back and kicked the mummy, freeing himself before getting up to his feet. He rushed back to grab the gun, but just as the bus made a harsh turn, it fell through a crack. Rick groaned, his arms falling to his sides. "Damn it, Jonathan."

Back down below, Ardeth was taken by surprise of the upper half of a mummy who used the bars as his transportation. "What kind of crap is this?!", the magi questioned harshly in disbelief when the mummy knocked his gun out his hands. The magi ducked and dodged, avoiding the mummy, but it was kind of hard to do with it being so damn fast. Alex and Evelyn stood close to the driver seat, both also in disbelief at the situation now. "Aunt Evy?!"

"I know, Alex. I know."

"Jonathan, turn the bus! Turn it!", Ardeth commanded. Jonathan did so, rounding a corner and narrowly missing a car. "Eep! Move out the way, idiots!", he shouted as people screaming and ran out the road to avoid being flattened like a pancake. When the bus almost went flying, hitting a fire hydrant, there was a girlish scream up top and a thump. "Sorry about that, Rick!"

"IF I MAKE IT OUT OF THIS ALIVE, I'LL KILL YOU FOR YOUR BAD DRIVING SKILLS!"

Ardeth had fallen back in a seat, the half of a mummy who was fighting him loomed over him and his fingernails grew out into dangerous killer claws. The magi gulped. "Damn."

It sliced his chest, leaving three gashes. "OW! I HAPPEN TO LIKE THIS ROBE!"

The mummy was just about to attack again but Evy charged forward, a sword in hand from the bag of weapons, kicking him in the chest. The mummy was in shock and a bit frightened of her slightly maniacal look of crazy. "Fight me!", she hollered and charged forward again, forcing the mummy onto the ground before slicing it multiple times. Eventually, the mummy became just a pile of rubble which was thrown off the bus through the back window, breaking the glass.

Evelyn stood straight back up and planted her hands on her hips. She caught the looks her nephew and the magi was giving her. "What? That thing was about to kill you. I had to do something."

"You're crazy.", Alex wheezed. The librarian shook her head. "No. I'm combative… at times. Picked that up from your father!"

"I bet!"

"Low bridge!", Jonathan announced just as he went through it. The four could hear the wreckage above, praying that Rick was in the clear. Hearing his girlish screams gave them some bit of hope. The bus continued down the road until it hit the middle of the bridge, coming to a stop of the side. Jonathan and Alex exhaled in relief as Evelyn settled down in a vacant bus seat across from the panting Ardeth. "Great driving, Uncle Jon.", Alex commented just as Rick came back down. "Great driving, my ass." He turned to the magi. "You okay?"

"This was my first bus ride!", Ardeth answered.

Evelyn blinked. "Then-"

"I know what a bus is!"

"Alright! Alright!"

She then met Rick's serious gaze, said brunet in a stance of crossed arms. "Are all librarians this much trouble?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"You shouldn't get kidnapped again."

Alex walked past his father, giving him a brief hug before heading to the back of the bus, checking out the damage caused. Suddenly, a hand gripped him, pulling him off the bus. He shouted, alerting the adults. Rick was the first off the bus, running after Lock-Nah who held Alex and jumping into a car. "NO! GIVE ME BACK MY SON!", he hollered as the car sped before stopping and picking up one of their cronies who raised the bridge and driving off again. Rick didn't care and continued to run, at the moment only caring for his son. "NO! ALEX! NO!"

By the time he got halfway, the bridge was completely up. He held onto the edge, peering over and catching the car drive off with his baby boy. "No… Alex…"

* * *

Dark eyes scanned over the scenery of London, a malicious smirk etched on thin lips. Behind her, he walked up, taking her waist within his arm.

" **I shall go to Ahm Shere and kill the Scorpion King."** , Imhotep voiced, looking down at Meela. The woman glanced up at him with an adoring gleam in her eyes.  **"And with his army we shall rule the world together."**

" **My Lord, there is something you should know."**

The couple turned, seeing it was just Hafez, Shafek standing behind him with the black book in his arms. Imhotep crossed his arms, a bit displeased at the interruption of the romantic moment.  **"What is it?"**

" **They have the Scepter of Osiris. I have seen it."** And truth be told, the curator was upset that he dropped it, now empty handed without it. All be damned. Imhotep just exhaled, not caring for said item. He wouldn't need it.  **"By the time we reached Ahm Shere, my powers will have regenerated. And I will have no need for the Scepter."**

" **What if you did?"**

" **I won't though."**

" **But what if you** _ **did**_ **?"**

" **Do you want me to kill you?!"**

" **No. No, I don't… sorry."**

Satisfied, Imhotep turned back to Meela. The woman stepped back until her back hit a wall. The moment it did, her surroundings shifted to that of gold and lit fires. She looked around and saw that Imhotep looked like himself just as he did 3,000 years ago. Meela then examined herself, seeing the golden jewels embedded within her hair and that decorated her skin. She wasn't Meela for that moment. No, she was Anck-su-namun.

Her eyes met Imhotep's, a spark of undying love between them. Closer they became, their lips meeting halfway.

* * *

"Rick, calm down. You gotta stop crying."

"Evy… A-Alex… kidnapped…"

"We know, we know. Calm down."

"Eeeehhhh..."

"That is one ugly cry. Rick, please calm down."

"E-Evy…"

"O'Connell…"

Rick, tears in his eyes, looked up at Ardeth who approached him, Jonathan behind him. Evelyn was trying to calm the gunslinger down, hugging him and rocking back and forth since he was really freaking out about losing Alex. He was his son, his baby boy! And now he was kidnapped by killer bad guys! Worst, they served Imhotep! Who knows what he was going to do to him?! But the magi's next words gave some hope and relief. "Please do not fear for your son, O'Connell. They cannot harm him for he wears the bracelet."

Evelyn blinked at the new bit of information. "Wait! Alex is wearing the bracelet?!"

Jonathan nodded. "Yup. When he put it on he said he saw the pyramids of Giza then the temple of Karnak."

"Yes, and when they reach Karnak, the bracelet will show him the next step of the journey.", Ardeth added.

Evelyn crossed her arms. "I found that bracelet and now my nephew has it on. What a turn of events."

"Agreed.", Rick whined, settling down just a bit. Though he was still pretty upset.

"But never mind all of that. We have to reach Karnak before them, otherwise we won't have any idea where to look for them next."

At that, an idea clicked in the gunslinger's head. "Hm. Seems to me, we're gonna need a magic carpet."

Seeing the look on Rick's face, Jonathan turned to Ardeth. "We're in trouble now."

* * *

Many people were in disbelief how a whole train was brought out, which indeed had many red robed men sitting on top of it as it pulled away, but hey! If you have the money for it, do with it what you please. In this case, it was a service to an ancient mummy who will in no doubt and without hesitation kill you.

In the inside, where people didn't have to worry about hanging onto the train, Hafez and Meela were in one of the booths. The curator was standing by the window for just a moment before he turned to the reincarnation of Imhotep's second lover. He was still in shock at that when he found out about that. He wasn't completely clear as to who his first lover was and he really didn't care.

"When Imhotep first encountered the O'Connells, they sent his immortal soul to the Underworld. As powerful as he will become, he is still vulnerable. Only with the Army of Anubis will he be invincible. He will need your help, Meela."

"I know, I know. He's my man. Of course, I'll help him. By the way, it's O'Connell and Carnahans. Didn't that one guy mention how he wasn't married to O'Connell? And then the woman mentioned the same thing?"

He waved her off. "It was just easier to say, alright? They're one big happy family anyways. Besides, that boy is his son, right? It would be O'Connells and Carnahans then."

"Yeah, yeah. You're right."

Hafez gestured over to Shafek who handed him the Book of the Dead. He got it and passed it to Meela. "Keep this with you always.  _Always_. You never know when you have to bring back a soul."

"True."

"Let me go, jerk! Let me go!"

The duo turned to see Lock-Nah carrying in Alex, who was struggling like a maniac and was just about to bite Lock-Nah before he put him down on his feet. He glared up at the man, straightening his jacket. "Why are you so mean?"

"I don't like annoyance.", the man deadpanned. Alex crossed his arms. "Hey, if you lightened up, maybe you and I could get along and this could be a lot easier for you. Trust me, keep mistreating me and I'll give you all hell."

"Hm. I'll take your word for it then."

The blonde huffed before looking over at Meela and Hafez. He gasped, recognizing the item in Meela's hands. "Hey, that's the black Book of the Dead!"

Meela stood, smiling at him. "What a bright little child. Your mother must be missing you terribly."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I love how bad guys… and girl… keep mistaking our relationships with each other. She's my aunt!"

"So… that means… um… the guy with the guns… is who?", Shafek questioned.

"My father!"

"Then who is your mom?"

"I'm adopted."

"Oh. Okay, makes sense now."

Meela went over to Alex's side, bending down to his level. "Well, your father must be missing you terribly. If you wish to see him again, you'd better behave.", she suggested as the thought of Rick crossed her mind. She really did hate him just as much as her incarnation hated his.

Alex scoffed, rolling his eyes the way Rick would. "Lady, I do wish to see him again, but do you honestly think I'm gonna behave for you? Half of the time I'm not even on my best behavior for him, my aunt, grandfather, or uncles."

The woman just chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Because your father wouldn't slip poisonous snakes in your bed… while you were sleeping." Blue eyes widened at the statement. Maybe it would be best if he behaved. "O-Okay."

"What is with her and snakes?", Shafek mumbled just as three men entered, two of them carrying a chest. Lock-Nah had long led Alex out the coach into another so Imhotep could officially meet him.

"Nice.", Red commented as Jacques and Spivey placed the chest down. He glanced at Meela and added a smirk. "Very nice." Not really patient at the moment, especially involving these three men, Hafez stepped up, quickly asking, "Did you acquire what we asked?"

Red nodded. "Oh, we acquired it, alright. And you know what? We-"

"Killed two of those guards at the mausoleum to get it.", Jacques deadpanned. He wasn't really patient either.

"Hey, I was supposed to say that."

"Don't care. Anyways, why do you need the chest? You do know it's cursed, right?"

Meela nodded. "We know."

"It mustn't be opened. There's an inscription on it to prove that."

"I bet there is."

"Yes. It says that there is one, the Undead, who will kill all who opens this chest…"

"Yes, yes! And the creature will suck them dry, then become whole again. We've all heard this story before, man.", the curator reminded edgily. "It's nothing new to anyone of us." Shafek raised his hand, about to retort to that. "Shut up, Shafek."

"Sorry."

"I doubt it's just a 'story'. I heard that the Yanks who found the chest eight years ago all died. Horrible, horrible deaths they were. So with that in mind…", Red started.

"We want ten.", Spivey finished, placing his foot on the chest. Jacques karate chopped at his ankle. "Ow! Jacques!"

"This is an ancient artifact. Don't put your foot on it!"

"Alright! Alright!"

"The agreement was for five thousand.", Hafez scowled, crossing his arms. Red frowned. "Yeah, well, we want ten. Or we'll take it elsewhere."

"I dare you. See what happens. I promise you'll rue that decision! Rue it!"

"Hafez.", Meela voiced, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ten will be just fine." She smirked for just a moment, Hafez catching it. He nodded, knowing what she planned to do. She turned to the trio. "Follow me, gentlemen."

They did so, very much clueless to what was coming for them.

* * *

"Rick, are you feeling well?"

At the question asked by his proclaimed sister, blue eyes averted to the worried face. Rick turned back to the road with a nod. "Just fine. Why?"

"Well… I admit… I've been wondering if… since Imhotep's been awakened again… have you…"

"Had any visions?"

Rick sighed. He knew this was coming. Evelyn could hold in so much questions for such a short period time. That and she easily worries, maybe not as much as him though. He's just a big brother/Mother Hen with weapons galore.

"Just one since we rescued you. But unlike before… it wasn't… something from the past. It was more so like the future."

From the back seat, Jonathan leaned up, pushing one of the bags out of his way. "Well, what did you see?"

The gunslinger shrugged. "Honestly, I can't say so myself. All I know there was a pyramid, a jungle, a knife and that…  _woman_." Just remembering her gave him a bad taste in his mouth. There was no doubt that she was the reincarnation of Anck-su-namun, the woman who hated Rishid because he was the one holding Imhotep's affections first. And even though it wasn't clear as to who poisoned Rishid, ending his life, remembering how Anck-su-namun treated the Seer gave him a clue… no, a definite answer that the mistress was indeed his killer. And honestly? She just might do it again in this life. But something in his gut told him that he wasn't the only target. Someone else besides Imhotep had connections to their ancient past. Someone who could practically feel Egypt run through their veins. Someone who knew the past as if they've been there. Someone who… oh.

"Evelyn, speaking of visions, how's yours?"

"They're real composed now. They still happen once in a while."

"Alright. Um, another question. With these visions… do they feel almost like a memory?"

"Rick, where are you going with this?"

"Answer me."

"Well, yeah, they do. Why?"

"Isn't that what I felt when I started having visions before I found out I was a reincarnation?"

Silence. A pregnant pause of silence. Jonathan looked back and forth between the two. Rick was still looking at the road, but the small grin on his face told him that he just unlocked something new. His sister appeared to be every bit of baffled, collecting her thoughts. "Um… yes. Are you saying that…?"

"You might be a reincarnation as well, yes, that is what I'm saying."

"You could be right, too.", Jonathan agreed, processing the theory as well. It could be possible. Evelyn had visions just as he did and when they were at the resting place of where the Bracelet of Anubis was found, she even mentioned that she felt as if she been there before. Only question was now being who was Evelyn in ancient times?

* * *

Alex grunted as he was pushed into the coach by the command of Lock-Nah, who he knew hated him just to being hating him. The blonde spotted a dark clad figure in the back of the room. He turned the moment Alex stopped, revealing the black hole less mask he wore. The boy had a clue who this was. "You're that mummy my Uncle Ardeth mentioned, huh? Imhotep?"

Imhotep stepped closer, bending down to his level.  **"I know you can understand me, little one."**

"I can. My Aunt Evelyn taught me."

" **I bet she did. Now, you must listen carefully because…"**  Then Imhotep switched to English. "… it is you who are the chosen one. You will take me to Ahm Shere."

The blonde did a back track. "Hold it! Why did you just speak Ancient Egyptian… or Arabic… and then switched over to English if you knew I could understand you?"

Imhotep shrugged. "Don't know. Just listen."

"Now you're sticking to English."

"For now. Back to the matter at hand."

"Alright, alright. So what if I get lost? What if I don't lead you to Ahm Shere?", Alex sassed, crossing his arms.

The mummy chuckled, recognizing the tone of someone who had a piece of his heart. "You have strength, little one. You are your father's son."

"Yes, yes, I am. Even if I'm adopted. I don't care for that. He raised me. Loved me like I was his own flesh and blood."

"You know, if he chosen to not reject my love all those years ago, we could have raised you together."

"Is that something you should be telling me?"

"Don't know.", Imhotep admitted, shrugged. He flicked Alex's forehead, which the blonde yelped at, rubbing the sore spot. "Rude."

"I know something about this bracelet that you don't." The boy was taken by surprised as his left arm was lifted by Imhotep's will. "This bracelet is both a gift and a curse." Blue eyes followed Imhotep's other hand which picked up an hourglass and flipped it over. Sand began to pour into the bottom half and somehow, Alex could feel the time that wasted into the bottom go through him. "Already the sands of time have begun to pour against you."

Alex placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, yeah. I already know that the minute I put the bracelet on, seven days do I have before the Scorpion King wakes up."

Behind the mask, Imhotep smirked. Yup, this boy was his first lover's son. He had that same smart-alecky attitude. "You are correct. But are you aware that if you do not enter the pyramid before the sun rises on that very morning, that the bracelet will suck the life out of you?"

Blue eyes went wide eyed and filled with fright at the statement. "T-that part I missed…" He then grasped just how much time he had left. "Hey, wait a minute! That means I've only got five days left!"

Imhotep gave a dark chuckle behind his mask. "Then I believe it would be best for you if you don't get lost, don't you?"

Alex glared at the mummy. Ooh, how he was pissed, knowing the guy was right. Butt. No wonder his father 'dumped' him years ago. And no doubt Rick was at a hair pulling rage that he had the gall to kidnap him. "My dad is going to kick your arse.", he promised. Imhotep scoffed. The younger stepped back just a bit as the mummified priest went to take off his mask. He yelped, seeing the mummy's face for the first time. "I don't think so."

Lock-Nah grabbed Alex and led him out the door, leaving the mummy alone in the booth. Imhotep stood back up, thoughts going through his mind. The boy was so much like his father, Rick O'Connell. The reincarnation of Rishid, his first lover. It made Imhotep slightly unsure if his heart is in the right place. He loved Anck-su-namun, or Meela in this case. But how much did he love her? He loved her enough to be cursed for her sake. Hell, he loved her enough to want to rule the world with her. He wasn't going to Ahm Shere for his sake. He was going for her. For Meela. For his princess. She was the one who found his imprisonment after all, just in time of the Scorpion King's awakening. She loved him back. Rick didn't. But one could guess it came with the cause of not being cursed for him. After all, like Rishid was, at first, Rick was very impassive to the priest's love. Meela was embracing it.

Speaking of whom…

"In here, gentlemen."

The door opened again, revealing that is was Meela who opened it, letting in Red, Spivey and Jacques. The men carried in the chest with them. "Here you shall receive your just rewards."

"No tricks now, woman. We're not, I repeat,  _not_ giving up this chest till we're satisfied.", Red warned. Meela just gave him a cheeky smile. "Don't worry. There's much satisfaction to be had.", she replied, stepping out the door before slamming it and locking it with a hurry. The trio turned, shocked at her actions before whipping back around, hearing wind in the coach. "Was… was that  _wind_?", Spivey questioned in disbelief. They pulled out their guns when there was a low growl from somewhere. They looked about, finding nothing but the feeling of pure creepiness in the coach.

"This place is cursed.", Jacques voiced. Red glared at him. "What is with you and curses, huh?"

"You're not happy without a good curse, are you? It's 'this is cursed' and 'that is cursed'.", Spivey added.

The lightly darker man hissed at him. "No, I'm cautious. You can never be too careful, alright?!"

"Hey, you two give it a rest!"

As if on cue, Imhotep jumped out, roaring and scaring the crap out the men. Almost literally in Spivey's case. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

"AAAHHH!"

"HE'S GONNA KILL US! HE'S GONNA KILL US! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Imhotep stopped for a moment to laugh. This was actually pretty funny.

Meela opened the door's opening when Spivey started banging on it like a scared little kid. Jacques and Red was doing their best to rid of the mummy priest, but bullets had no damn effect on him. Pity, pity them. "HELP US! HELP US!", the man cried, tears going down his face. His pants were almost about to be just as wet. "Just open the chest. One of you can just open the chest. He wants you to open the chest. He'll spare you.", she assured, crossing her fingers behind her back. Hafez had spotted it and scoffed. "There's no need to do that."

"I can't be too sure now."

Not caring if the woman was lying or not, Spivey rushed to the chest, flipping the lid of it open and making dust fly from it everywhere.

It got quiet in the coach. Red and Jacques glanced from the chest and then to Spivey who paled under their harsh looks. "She… she told me to."

"And you believed it?! Now we're all doomed! DOOMED!", Jacques scowled.

"But I was the only one to open the chest, right?"

"We're in the room with you! We're near the chest!"

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!"

Just as those words were spoken, Imhotep revealed himself, crawling on the ceiling and hanging upside down. He grabbed Spivey and starting suck the life out him. The remaining two screamed in terror and tried going to the windows. Of course, the windows were shut very tightly as if someone nailed the window pane down. "All be damned!", Red whimpered, now knowing that none of them weren't getting paid.

* * *

Rick parked the car once they arrived to their destination. The trio got out the car, Jonathan with his golden stick in his hand. Evelyn took a quick glance at the sign outside the place. "Hm. So this is the Magic Carpet Airways?", she asked, glimpsing at Rick with a curious, and contemplating stare. The gunslinger waved her off. "It'll be fine, Evy. He's a professional. I worked with him before."

The door to the stone gate then opened, revealing a dark toned man, dressed in light tan and white clothes, a pilot helmet and an eyepatch over his eye. He was humming, clueless to the recent arrivals until he looked up with a gasp. "…"

"Izzy!", Rick greeted. Said man shouted in shock and horror, twirling his ass back on the other side before locking the door. Rick pouted, feeling offended at the action. "Hey!"

"Oh, he definitely a professional, alright. And he definitely remembers you.", the librarian teased. Rick glared at he briefly. "He's just a little shy. Jonathan, get our bags."

Said male stopped short and crossed his arms. "Ask nicely. Don't demand me."

With a roll of his crystal blues, the brunet huffed out the sweetest he can, "Can you please get our bags, Jonathan?" Though it was strained.

"Hm. My hands are full."

"ARGH!" Jonathan yelped when Rick snatched his golden item away and bonked him on the head with it. "NOW!"

"Okay! Okay!"

While Jonathan turned to the task at hand, Evelyn watched as Rick pulled out one of his guns and shot at the door. "Rick, maybe you should try being subtle."

"Ain't nobody has time for that, Evelyn. And you know I'm not a subtle man. Especially when it comes to Alex.", he retorted before kicking the door open. Izzy quickly made more distance between him and Rick, almost tumbling to the ground. "No, no and no."

"He doesn't seem too happy to see you, dear o' aggressive brother of mine.", Evelyn noted as Izzy took a couple of rolled up papers from a desk, pushing a sleeping man out the way. Rick looked back at her and continued pursing the pilot. "He hasn't turned me down yet. And he's _not_  going to either.", Rick assured, a deadly gleam in his crystal blues. "Izzy, come here! I'm not going to hurt you!", he added, hands on hips. Izzy shook his head. "Uh-uh. Whatever it is, whatever you need, forget it! I don't care, O'Connell."

"But Izzy-"

"No! Every time I hook up with you, I get shot!"

By now, Jonathan had appeared, two bags in his hands while one was on his back. Two kids were helping him, seeing him struggle with the luggage before, holding a bag each themselves. "Every time?", he questioned, pondering Izzy's claim.

"Yes! Every time! Last time I got shot in the ass! I'm in mourning for my ass!"

"That… that was an accident and I apologized even though I wasn't the one to shoot you!", Rick reminded with a pout, arms crossed. Izzy glared his way. "Doesn't matter! I always get shot! Remember that bank job in Marrakesh?"

"Bank job?", the Carnahan siblings repeated, both blinking at Rick.

"It's not like it sounds."

"Ah, it's exactly how it sounds.", Izzy protested, now standing beneath a small shaded area with another desk and a couple of dressers, globes and other stuff. "I'm flying high, hiding in the sun, white boy here flags me down, so I fly in low. The next thing you know I get shot! I'm lying on the road with my spleen hanging out and I see him waltzing up with some belly dancer girl."

"Belly dancer girl?", Evelyn questioned while Rick blushed, looking every bit of guilty. "Ooh, I bet Imhotep would be every bit of angry to hear about that."

"Shut it." Rick took a bundle of money out his pocket and tossed it to Izzy. "You, quit your whining. You're gonna get paid this time."

Izzy crossed his arms. "O'Connell, look around here! What do I need money for, huh? Where the hell am I going to spend it on?"

Jonathan gestured over to the random man in the bathtub, having the nerve to read a newspaper, too. "How about buying the tub from that guy over there?"

"You're real funny.", the pilot sassed.

"So I've been told."

Rick stepped closer to Izzy, eyes narrowed and the golden stick he snatched from Jonathan earlier in his hand. "I'm going to keep this short. My little boy's out there and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him back.", he claimed, keeping the rod close to Izzy's face as if threatening to stab him in his other eye. Though Izzy muttered no word as he stared at the golden item. The gunslinger took noticed and moved it from side to side, noticing how the pilot followed it. "Hm."

"O'Connell, if you give me that gold stick there, you can shave my head, wax my legs and use me for a damn surfboard."

"Alright!"

"Rick!", Jonathan whined.

"Jonathan, for Alex, please."

The smaller man pouted, upset that his golden item was taken from him in the first place. But if he had to give it up for the sake of his nephew. "Fine. But you owe me, damn it."

Rick tossed the stick to Izzy before following him. "By the way, Izzy, didn't we do that in Tripoli?"

"I don't remember. Most of that trip we were drunk off our asses."

"Our Rick? No!", Evelyn mocked. Rick pinched her arm. "Quiet. By the way, when did you lose your eye?"

Izzy stopped, tucking the golden stick in his jacket pocket before lifting his eyepatch, revealing that he indeed had both his eyes. "I didn't. I just thought it made me look more dashing.", he chuckled. Rick just stared at him, deadpanned in the eyes. A second later, he grabbed Izzy and snatched off the eyepatch. "Hey!"

"You're going to need both eyes to steer! Now come on, let's get to work."

The group then continued walking, stopping when they spotted a collective group of dark clad men on horses. Izzy gulped. "I knew it. I'm gonna get shot.", he guessed before going off to ready their transportation.

"Ardeth, buddy! Glad you made it!", Rick voiced as Ardeth dismounted his horse and approached the group.

"Of course. I'm in debt to you. That and I adore Alex as my nephew."

"I bet. Also…", Rick leaned in closer and whispered, "… to keep your little love interest out of trouble, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis which made the magi blushed.

"We're not going to talk about this."

"When are we then?"

"Never."

Ardeth turned and gestured to the men. "These are the commanders of the 12 tribes of the Medjai. Horus!"

At his call, a mostly white bird flew to him off another's arm. He landed on Ardeth's gloved arm. "Ah, pet bird. So cute.", Jonathan cooed. Ardeth smiled at him for a moment, turning back to Horus and petting down his feathers. "My best and most clever friend. He will let the commanders know of our progress. If the Army of Anubis arises, they will do all they can do to stop it."

"And the bird's name is Horus?", Evelyn questioned. Ardeth nodded. She giggled. "Oh, how cliché. A bird named Horus, a god with bird like qualities and the god of the sky."

"I've been told I'm full of clichés."

"I bet you're a cliché romantic, too.", Rick joked. He received a glare from the magi.

"O'Connell, we're not going to talk about this.", Ardeth press harshly, blush back on his cheeks.

Rick placed his hands on his hips. "When are you going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?", Jonathan asked, curious. Before Rick could answer, Ardeth quickly spoke up, raising an arm to the commanders. "HALA HU MANA!"

They repeated it before riding off. Rick nudged his side playfully. "Don't think you can dodge this forever. He's going to have to know."

"I'll tell him on my death bed.", Ardeth deadpanned, the four of them… and two kids still carrying luggage… heading off to find Izzy. "Rick, are you sure Izzy's reliable? He doesn't seem like Winston was.", Evelyn recalled. Rick nodded. "Yeah, but at least he doesn't want to die, so he'll do his best to not have us all die in a plane crash. He's reliable-ish.", he noted just as they stopped. Izzy approached them, leaving a zeppelin. "Isn't she beautiful?", he sighed happily, looking at the aircraft and back to Rick. He caught the death look he had. "O'Connell?"

"A balloon, Izzy?! A balloon?!"

"It's a dirigible, thank you very much."

"Where's your airplane?!"

"Airplanes are a thing of the past."

Rick sighed. He looked up and gave Izzy a small smile. "Izzy, you were right."

Izzy blinked, stepping back a bit. That smile looked like a warning to a death sentence. "I… I was?"

"Yup! You're gonna get shot!" The brunet pulled out one of his handguns, ready to shoot Izzy in the foot before the pilot stopped him. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Hey, let's not be rash now! Let me at least reason with you!"

Still with his gun out, Rick nodded. "Alright."

"She's faster than she looks, and she's quiet. Really quiet, which is great for sneaking up on people. Unless of course, we go with your approach. Marching in face first, guns blazing and getting your friends shot in the arse!"

Rick just snarled at Izzy before putting his gun away. "Alright, I'm convinced. Let's go."

Ardeth groaned. "Why can't you people keep your feet on the ground?"


	2. Chapter 2

" _ **Do you even love her?"**_

_**Dark eyes locked in with a dull, unreadable answer. Weapons had clashed in the midst of it. Fire blazing around them in the darkened gold room.** _

" _ **I did. And I do. You abandoned me, even when I wanted to give you the world."**_

" _ **I didn't want the world. And maybe then, I thought I didn't want you. But I know now and I know the truth. You can't do this, Imhotep. And I won't let you!"**_

_**Axe clashed with axe. "Even if I have to kill you again."** _

" _ **Then so be it… Rishid."**_

* * *

Blue eyes opened slowly, blinking to adjust to the now shades of oranges, purples and pinks of the sky. Nearly hours ago, the group boarded the zeppelin, loaded and ready to save the youngest member of their family and stop an ancient mummified priest, his evil girlfriend, and a bunch of mooks from trying to raise an army and destroy the earth.

Now, here they are, now almost over the Nile River.

Rick sat up from where he was laying, not recalling when he fell asleep. "Um…"

"You seemed pretty knocked out from all that stress and worry over Alex.", Evelyn recalled, taking a seat next to him when the brunet moved his feet. Rick sighed, rubbing the sides of his arms. "I might be. It's just… knowing that my son is being kept hostage by bad guys who follow…  _him_  doesn't sit right with me. I know he's sore about what I did to him eight years ago, so it makes me anxious of what they're gonna do to my baby boy once they reach Ahm Shere.", he admitted, his chest hurting a bit at the thought of Alex being harmed.

That boy was his lifesaver when he first met him. And if he lost him for good, Rick wouldn't know how to handle it.

"We're going to get him back, Rick. You know we will.", Jonathan consoled.

"I know. I know. Evy, had any visions of late?"

The sole woman shook her head. "Not of late I have. Have you?"

"I just woken up from one. Another futuristic one, too. From my point of view, I was battling Imhotep in some room. Fire was surrounding us; it was a bit dim. And honestly, I'm unsure about it all."

"Another vision? You are truly Rishid's reincarnation, for it is said that he, too, had visions of said nature. When he could see something happen before it does.", Ardeth mentioned.

"Kind of like déjà vu?", Izzy questioned from the wheel.

"Sort of I guess."

"Not everyone has déjà vu, O'Connell. Maybe you're a Seer like he was. These visions seem more… full than a snippet."

Rick glanced at the magi before shaking his head. "No. No way. I'm… Ardeth, I told you I wanted to put all that behind me.", he voiced before standing and walking off to the other end of the zeppelin. The remaining four just blinked, exchanged looks before going off with their own tasks. Evelyn just glanced over the railing, watching below. Izzy started looking at some maps and the other two decided to have some small talk.

"O'Connell doesn't want to believe, but he flies like Horus towards his destiny. He's going to realize it sooner or later.", the magi commented, petting said bird. He glanced over to Jonathan, who was staring at him intensely. He blinked, leaning closer which seem to snatch Jonathan back up to reality. "Are you okay?"

"Um… just fine. So… uh… tell me about Ahm Shere. Alex told me a little about it, the gold pyramid."

"Well, it is written that since the time of the Scorpion King, no man that has laid eyes upon it has ever returned to tell the tale."

"Really? Where is all this stuff written?", the other questioned reaching back into a hole.

Ardeth shrugged. "In records or such. My people has always kept note of what has happened throughout Egypt through each generation of the Medjai. Now as for others, I really don't know for sure."

"Ah. Got it."

Jonathan pulled out his precious golden rod, glancing up at Izzy who was still distracted. He looked back at Ardeth. "I'm not losing this. No way. I already lost most of my gold to some rather unscrupulous characters. I was close to losing it to that Hafez fellow, the curator. He seemed amazed by it, like it was something… significant. Kind of like the Bracelet of Anubis. The one my naughty nephew thought it was a grand idea to put on."

"Well, if the curator reacted to it the way you say, it must be very important. If I were you I would keep it close.", the magi suggested.

The smaller man rolled his eyes. "My friend, the Gods couldn't take this away from me."

"Hey!"

The golden rod was suddenly gripped onto, being pulled upwards. "That's mine!", Izzy growled.

"No it's not!"

"It so is!"

Jonathan lost the tug of war battle, the stick now in Izzy's hold again. "Keep your hands of it."

"Meanie."

Ardeth laughed, now the receiving end of Jonathan's glare. "Stop laughing.", he pouted. The magi shook his head, trying to calm his laughing down a bit. "Sorry. You can be adorable sometimes.", he blurted before completely stopping his laughing. Jonathan blinked, blushing at the statement. "Um… thank you."

He leaned closer, glaring at Izzy for another moment who glared back and stuck his tongue out at him, the other repeating the action, before settling his head on Ardeth's shoulder. A little while later, he was asleep. The black clad man stiffened, but relaxed, not minding being used as a pillow since it was Jonathan after all. And Jonathan didn't seem too unnerving about the closeness either. Maybe, just maybe he did like Ardeth back…

Which meant Rick would be right and he would brag about it.

And who needs that?

No one, but he would do it anyways. As of now, his main priority was getting Alex back in his arms and back home.

* * *

The sun was dawning, signaling the new day. The train was rumbling on the tracks, heading for the first step of the journey. Inside one of the booths was Alex, who was going to lead them on the journey. He sat at a table, across from him was Lock-Nah who was unwillingly on babysitting duty. He didn't mind serving Imhotep, hell being a villain for that matter, but to be assigned to this? Someone shoot him. The kid was getting on his nerves, staying true to his words that he was going to give them all hell. In one day, he already had Hafez on edge, Shafek frightened of him, and Meela wanting to throw him overboard. The cronies were just at reluctant to go near him. Imhotep was pretty much indifferent about him since he only talked to him once. That left Lock-Nah. They figured he could handle a little kid. Big guy, nerves of steel. Yeah, he got this… right?

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

"Are you mad?"

"Yes!"

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, and NO! Shut up already!"

Silence…

"Are we-"

A split second later, a knife was being jolted downwards. Alex gasped, seeing that the tip of the knife landed between two of his fingers. "Whoa! That was amazing!"

"What are you talking about?", Lock-Nah growled, removing the knife. "I missed."

"Well, technically yeah. You did, but that was amazing. I bet you do a lot of knife throwing exercises. My dad does. And my Uncle Ardeth. Hey, why do you hate him so much? Used to be friends? Ate your sandwich? Stole your girl? What's the reason?"

"If you do not silence yourself this instant I'll be forced to resort to  _drastic_  measures."

"You would like that, wouldn't you? I bet you would. Hurting a little a kid like me. I'm an angel, thank you very much!"

"I beg to differ."

"Hey! I take offense to that! I am an angel! A cute, little an-"

Lock-Nah went to jump over the table but Alex stood. "Sorry! I have to use the bathroom."

"Argh… come on."

Another coach away, Meela was opening the door, walking in. She spotted three of the dead men, almost gagging at the sight. "Hm. Pity them. Hope they're in a better place.", she muttered. She glanced up, just stepping over the bodies. The sole evil woman came face to face to Imhotep. A fully regenerated Imhotep. "Imhotep…", she sighed, enthralled by his handsome features as she was in her dreams and past life. He stepped closer to her, taking both of her hands.  **"Like what you see?"**

"Most definitely!"

While the couple did whatever, Lock-Nah was leading Alex to a smaller room. The little boy gagged when the door opened, revealing the ghastly room that they had the gall to call a bathroom. "Seriously? You people brought out the whole train and this is the best you could do with bathrooms?! Shame on you!"

"Make it quick!", the robed man ordered, pushing in the blonde. Alex looked around again and grabbed a bundle of paper. "Hey, reading material!"

"NOW!"

Alex hurried stepped further into the bathroom, regretting he said he had to use it. He rather had keep it in. He was about to do his biz, but he realized that Lock-nah was still there. "I can't go when someone's watching.", he voiced shyly. Well, mockingly. Lock-Nah crossed his arms, turning around. Alex shook his head. "No, I don't trust you. You'll look!"

"I will not!"

"You will! Now go so I can pee!"

"Alright! Alright, brat!"

Lock-Nah closed the door behind him, leaving the blonde alone. When he was sure, Alex proceeded to try to break the bars of the window. No deal. He gave up and decided that he really had to go and flushed the toilet, not sure if anyone had before. When he did, he noticed a weird sound and lifted the seat. Seeing something out of the ordinary, he pushed the toilet to the side and discovered a hole large enough for him to fit through. With an escape plan in mind, Alex pulled a nearby communication cord down.

The train came to an abrupt halt. The dudes on top of it almost fell off. In a couple of the carts, the passengers were thrown forward. Hafez even got his leg stuck.

Imhotep and Meela weren't immune to the situation and fell back as well. Imhotep growled, knowing who was behind it.  **"The boy…"**

He opened the doors of the coach and took noticed how Alex was being shot at by two of the guys on top of the train. The blonde was even lucky he was able to dodge bullets, much like his father was. Imhotep sighed.  **"Idiots…"** , he muttered before raising his arms. In doing so, the men were being raised as well. In the air, freaked out of their mind, they were sent crashing into each other being thrown forward and flying into some pillars. Meela blinked, grasping their location. "Karnak. Ironic."

The mummy jumped out the cart and went after Alex alone.

Said boy was running through Karnak, rounding pillars and jumping over falling pieces of stone. He stopped by a pool of black water to catch his breath when then the bracelet on his wrist hummed. He lifted his arm, catching the flashing images of the desert before it stopped at the final translucent vision of an island. Alex blinked. "Where… an island … know what? I don't want to know.", he muttered just as the image vanished, revealing Imhotep who was walking on the black liquid like no big idea as if he was some humanoid Jesus Lizard. Alex gasped as he was lifted off the ground a bit, Imhotep now just a foot away from him. The man wagged a finger in front of him. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

"Yeah… not a really thought out plan.", Alex chuckled nervously when he was settled back on his feet. Imhotep looked down at him.  **"Such a naughty boy. Are you always this disobedient?"**

"Are you always this confusing? It's either English or Ancient Egyptian, pick and choose, man."

" **You have to be his blood child or something. You got his vivacity."**

"So it's Ancient Egyptian. Alright." Alex crossed his arms. "I just had to put on the bracelet. Just had to. And then get kidnapped. Now I'm giving a golden ticket to bad guys to rule the world. Oh, Dad is going to be so proud of me.", he sarcastically voiced, glimpsing up at Imhotep. "If you promise me here and now that you won't let him kill me... and tell Lock-Nah to be a bit nicer, I will give you, just you, no trouble as the bracelet leads me to the next places. Deal?"

Imhotep nodded.  **"I won't let him kill you. And tell Lock-Nah to be nicer."**

"I have to admit, that levitating power you have is cool. I wonder if Dad would think so. I know Uncle Jon would agree… maybe Aunt Evy. Say, how come you and my father aren't… you know?"

" **He rejected me."** , Imhotep answered with a shrug as the two walked back to the others, side by side. Alex looked to the ground for a brief moment. "Hm. So you were love with him?"

" **I was. In ancient times, we were together. He was the pharaoh's sorcerer, a Medjai to be, and known to others as a descendant of the gods."**

"He told me that. He just never mentioned that you two were kissing it up. Was it in secret?"

" **It was. We weren't sure how people would take to such an affair. And at first, he was unenthusiastic, always denying me until he gave into me. I still loved him, even up and after his death."**

"Wow. You think… could you still be in love with him now?"

The high priest stopped, resulting in Alex doing the same thing. The blonde watched him, sensing he hit a nerve, but the calm look on Imhotep's face told him he didn't. The older looked down at him, once an answer was collected.  **"I might, I might not. Only time will tell, little one."**

* * *

Night had fallen once again. The air cool and sincere, but a bit mystifying. Rick sat across from Ardeth, who sat next to Jonathan who was occupied with Horus. He had taken a liking to the bird, which was mutual.

"If a man does not embrace his past, he has no future.", the black clad man voiced. Rick, fiddling with a knife, looked up at him. "Even if I decided to acknowledge to being Rishid's reincarnation, what good does that do me now?"

"It's the missing piece to your heart, Rick.", Ardeth answered, using Rick's first name. He did that when he needed him to understand. It was just his way to communicating with the ex-soldier. "If you embrace it, if you can accept it, you can do anything. Rishid may have felt the same way you did with the people of Thebes believing he was a curse. But, he used that. He didn't let that get into the way of his duties. And maybe if he didn't die of a sudden poisoned death, he would have probably died a Medjai, true and pure."

Rick bit his lip, thinking about it. It seemed as if he should accept his destiny. Acknowledge his ancient past even if he wasn't what he expected. Even though for the past years he didn't think about Imhotep, he thought about his incarnation. He really tried to forget about his past, he did, but it somehow always flashed back to him. Whether it was something small like something he did, or a word he might say. Rishid is him, and he is Rishid. He couldn't deny it any longer, no matter how far he wanted to run from it. No matter how deep he wanted bury it. After all, Ardeth said he had to embrace who he was. But it was Rishid's love for Imhotep was why he wanted it all to go away. In all honesty, that was a small part to who Rishid was, but a major element to his death.

"So what can we expect from our old friend Imhotep?", the brunet questioned.

Ardeth could sense that it was a bit hard for Rick to say his name, but regardless he answered. "His powers are returning quickly for sure. By the time he reaches Ahm Shere, even the Scorpion King won't be able to stop him."

"Let's not count on that."

Just at the end of the gondola, Evelyn stood. She was listening to the small talk, but her mind was drifted somewhere else. She swore she almost heard a voice. A voice familiar to her, and reminiscing about the past.

* * *

" **It's time to remind you of who you are."**

Two individuals sat side by side, their bodies brushing with every shift they made. Before them was a black pool, fogged with an odorless white thin cloud. Imhotep and Meela looked at each other, their eyes speaking hidden words within their souls.

" **And of who we are together. For our love is a true love, an eternal love. Our souls mated together as one… forever…"**

Meela watched as her lover cleared away the fog, her mind fading to black and then clearing into a beam of gold.

* * *

_**From his throne the pharaoh sat, his eyes glued to the two women in readied stances, both covered in jewels and golden revealing cloths, wielding weapons in their hands, and golden masks adorning their faces.** _

_**Beside the pharaoh was his high priest, Imhotep, who had a small smirk etched on his lips.** _

" _ **Fight!"**_

_**The two women turned around and immediately went at each other, like fierce cats. Their sais clashed with each blow. They moved quickly, but in sync with their opposing force. Swift, graceful, and enchanting they were as they focused at the task in hand. The slightly shorter woman was suddenly knocked down onto her back. The other stood over her, a triumph grin behind her mask.** _

_**The one on the floor lifted her mask, panting and scowling at her opponent. Her face was a replica of Evelyn, though within her eyes she possessed a less loving nature at the moment. Though it was unrevealed as to who she was, it gave the vague answer that she was indeed Evelyn's incarnation. The taller woman lifted her own mask, uncovering her face to expose that she was Anck-su-namun. "Put on your mask. Let's not scar that pretty face.", she mocked.** _

_**The Evelyn look-alike jumped to her feet, twirling her sais in her fingers and aiming their points to Anck-su-namun who had done the same. They charged again, small thin blades close to making tiny sparks from the rivalry they held. Anck-su-namun caught the upper hand again and discarded both of the other's weapons. The slightly smaller escaped her grasped and flipped to the other side of the room, leaping onto an edge and grabbing onto an axe from the wall before landing down and twirling it in her hands.** _

_**The temple of the pharaoh discarded her own weapons before flipping to the opposite side and taking hold of a spear. She spun it around, approaching the Evelyn look-alike.** _

_**With a loud clank, their new arms blocked their opponent. The axe went flying, being thrown away. Now defenseless, the other could only stepped back, reading Anck-su-namun's next moves. She grabbed onto the spear, but was heaved to the ground, the tip of the spear to her neck.** _

_**The audience clapped, knowing it was the now the end of the duel.** _

" _ **You're learning quickly, Nefertiri. I'll have to watch my back.", Anck-su-namun sassed. The now named Nefertiri hissed. "Yes… and I'll have to watch mine."**_

_**The pharaoh clapped, leaving his throne as the two parted, both weaponless now and up to their feet. "Bravo, bravo!", he praised, approaching his daughter and placing an arm around Nefertiri's shoulders. "Who better to protect the Bracelet of Anubis than my lovely daughter, Nefertiri?", he smiled as a Medjai walked past with the opened chest of said bracelet.** _

_**It was quickly closed and taken away to its future resting place.** _

" _ **And who better to protect me than my future wife, Anck-su-namun?"**_

_**At the call of her name, said woman bowed in honor, feeling pleased with the task. On the other hand, the princess felt regretful and in terror at the idea. To put her father's life in the hands of this woman wasn't her intention and never have or will be. She felt uncomfortable all the way around, weary. Somehow, within the pit of her stomach, she knew Anck-su-namun wasn't up to any good and probably never have been. But without Rishid, the one she always felt content with, she knew it was best if this was hidden from her father since she had no one to confess her intuition to.** _

_**Seti hugged his daughter, congratulated her. She hugged back, her eyes looking over his shoulder as she watched Imhotep walk past Anck-su-namun. He gave her the same look she swore he gave to the deceased Seer before. A look of deep, secret love. And Anck-su-namun's was the same. Once he was gone, the woman looked back at the princess with a gaze of uncertainty and undeniable fright.** _

_**Soon after, the vision shifted somewhere else. Nefertiri, adorning a dress and a crown of royalty, strolled onto a balcony, her eyes searching across the palace's courtyard before they landed on something peculiar. Anck-su-namun was across the way, waiting for someone. And that someone was Imhotep. They drew closer to each other, kissing halfway.** _

_**Nefertiri felt hurt, baffled by the betrayal of both of them for the sake of her father. How could Anck-su-namun do such a thing? Seti was going to make that woman his queen. And Imhotep… he trusted him.** _

_**Even though she was saddened by the scene, she couldn't tear her eyes away. She watched as the couple parted at the sound of Seti's approach. Imhotep ran off, hiding from sight while Anck-su-namun gathered herself. The princess was in doubt that her father was safe. "MEDJAI!"** _

_**At her call, the group of the pharaoh's bodyguards looked up at her. She pointed across the courtyard, giving them the direction of what was to come. "MY FATHER NEEDS YOU!"** _

_**And at those words, a cry of pain reached her ears. To her horror, Seti was being stabbed by both Anck-su-namun and Imhotep. She couldn't stop herself from shouting in the denial of the assault.** _

* * *

"NNNNOOOOO!"

At the shout, Rick quickly got up and ran to Evelyn's aid, catching her ankle as she dangled over the side of the zeppelin. "Evy! Evy!"

She screamed, snapping out of the vision and realizing she was way too high up from the ground. "Aaaaaahhhhh! Rick, Rick! Pull me up! Pull me up!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" The ex-soldier grunted, pulling the woman and back into the aircraft. The two landed on their asses on the wooden floor. Composed, Rick nudged Evelyn harshly. "Hey, what was that for?!"

"Evelyn, what the hell was that?! Trying to fly or whatever?!", the man sassed as Jonathan and Ardeth helped the two up. Evelyn shook her head. "No, no. I had a vision."

"Say what? Was it that intense?", Jonathan asked, noting how his sister almost plummeted to her death. Evelyn nodded, sitting down as the men followed her example. "Yes. I get it now. I do. Rick, like you, I am a reincarnation. But I was a princess. Seti's daughter, Nefertiri, as a matter of fact."

Rick blinked, looking to Ardeth for assurance and back at his proclaimed sister. "Hold it! You were a princess?!"

"Yes. The dreams and visions I was having are memories. You were right. And I know why I'm having them now."

"Why?", Izzy asked. He was clueless definitely. He already heard that Rick was a Seer, still processing that. Now he thought Evelyn was a little crazy.

"I was the bracelet's protector. Well, Nefertiri was. That's why I was able to find it. Because in my past life I was guarding it."

"Now how come Evelyn seems more accepting to what she was than you are?", Ardeth sassed, a smirk on his face. Rick rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. I admit it. It seems pretty wild though that she's a reincarnated princess and I'm a warrior for God."

"And a Seer, a believed cursed descendant of the Egyptian Gods and Imhotep's lover.", Jonathan added. Rick glared at him. "Thank you for reminding me."

"You know what? This may be preordained thousands of years ago. We were destined to meet. Alex was destined to put on the bracelet. We were destined to embrace on this journey together.", the sole woman concluded.

Rick glanced down at his right wrist, feeling the presence of his marking beneath the wristband. "We must be. Probably why we all stuck with each other these past eight years. We already had a connection built before we were even born. Ardeth's from generations of Medjai, Evelyn's a reincarnated princess, and I'm a reincarnated Seer…" He looked at Jonathan. "… a training Medjai, and Imhotep's lover. Who may we all be reminded is Seti's, Nefertiri's father, high priest."

"What about me?", Jonathan questioned.

"Jonathan, trust me. You're just as important as the rest of us. We may not know if you had your fate written before this time, but we know you were to embark on this journey.", Ardeth assured, putting an arm around Jonathan's shoulders, who welcomed it.

Rick gave a Cheshire Cat grin. "Yeah. For all we know, you may be a Medjai's reincarnated lover."

The two blushed, Ardeth glaring at Rick. "We're not going into that.", he hissed between his teeth. Rick leaned forward. "Look, he's going to have to know sooner or later. I'm getting tired of reminding you."

"Look, Terence already gave me lip about it eight years ago. I-"

"He knew?! Oh my gods! I'm so having a talk with him! That drafty old man!"

"What? What? What's wrong?", Jonathan asked.

"Nothing!"

"Alright, alright. Settle down there. Hey, what about me? Am I part of this journey?", Izzy asked. Rick looked his way and stuck his finger at him. "You are just the designated driver. Now shut it."

"Ardeth, how does this story end for us?", Evelyn questioned.

"Ah, only journey is written. Not the destination."

"You're just full of clichés."

"Yes, I am."

* * *

With every movement, his chains clanked, much louder than the angry ass camels' bellowing outside. Alex stopped, knowing now that from this moment and onwards, he would have no chance of escaping again. Oh, most definitely not after his earlier stunt.

"Damn…", he muttered, just as Lock-Nah turned the corner, heading his way in hasty steps with a metal mug in his hand. The blonde glared at him, taking a step back while holding up his wrist with the Bracelet of Anubis attached to it. "Hold it there, partner!"

Lock-Nah's dark eyes narrowed. He bent down to the boy and growled. "When the time comes… I shall truly enjoy killing you."

"I bet you would, huh? Just be prepared to have a deranged father, aunt, uncles and grandfather on your ass. Until that time, you'd better be a little nicer to me. Didn't your boss mention that to you?"

"He did, but it's not like I'm gonna try. I don't like you."

"The feeling is so mutual, pal. Now where's my water?"

The red robed man chugged the water to Alex's chest, the blonde barely getting a firm grip on it. He looked down into it as the man stormed away. "No ice?"

Lock-Nah turned. "Ice? We're in the middle of the desert! You got be joking!"

Alex laughed. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I just like messing with you. You may go now."

The man stormed off, muttering curses in Arabic under his breath. Alex settled in the sand, water settled in front of him as he let jumbled ideas flow through him. He had to get away, or at least acknowledge his family that he was still okay. It then clicked. His father was clueless as to where to head to next after Karnak and no one really knows a way to Ahm Shere unless they had the bracelet. They just stumble upon the place and it's rumored how once you do, you don't make it back out. He had to think of some way to lead clues or something so his family knows where to go.

"I could leave some sort of message… like a picture or… hold it!"

His blue eyes landed on the water, a smirk creeping on his face. "It's a good thing I have photographic memory.", he muttered, pouring the water in the sand, molding it. He just hoped his little message was found by his father.

* * *

A dark gaze peeked into the train's opened truck, finding it empty. And even so, Ardeth kept his weapon ready in case something or someone tried anything funny. Within the train, Rick crept along each aisle through each coach, hoping to find something that gave him an insight of where his son could be. He kept both his handguns aimed in front of him, not wanting to risk a jump scare and then get killed from it. He stumbled upon another abandoned coach, finding this one stinker than the rest. His nose scrunched up in disgust and he looked down, finding three dead, dry sucked bodies. "Ew. That is so gross! He's definitely been here!", he exclaimed, quickly walking out the coach and heading to the outside. He met up with the magi, catching the disappointment in his eyes. "They're gone."

"You don't say. The only thing I found was three decomposing bodies. He had got to be fully regenerated by now."

"Well… that sucks."

"RICK! ARDETH! WE GOT SOMETHING!", Evelyn shouted from somewhere within the pillars of Karnak. The duo hurried to her location, finding both the Carnahan siblings standing next to what seem to be a sandcastle. Rick noticed the librarian holding a piece of cloth in her fingers. It took only a split second for him to recognize what it was. "Is that Alex's tie?", he questioned, trying to keep his composure.

"Yes. He left it along with the little sandcastle.", Jonathan answered.

"And it's not just any castle. It's the temple of Aida Philae. They gone to Aida Philae next, Rick."

"He's leaving messages.", Ardeth voiced, spotting the small smile on Rick's lips. "He truly is Evelyn's nephew for sure."

"Yup! I have taught him well!", the sole woman cheered proudly before the group heading back to the zeppelin. Izzy raised up from his seat, watching as the boarded on. "Found something?"

"Sure did. Izzy, you know where the temple of Aida Philae is?", the gunslinger of the group asked.

"Uh yeah. That's on an island. As to why is anyone's guess. Is that our next stop?"

"Sure is."

* * *

Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, Izzy's aircraft was fast. It only took them a few hours to arrive at Aida Philae. The moment the zeppelin landed, Rick immediately got off and took off the moment his boots hit the sandy ground. Evelyn, Ardeth, Jonathan and Izzy blinked. They stayed silent for a few seconds before Izzy spoke up. "Wow. O'Connell's one dedicated father."

"Oh, this is just his good days. The moment we find Alex is gonna be a bad one. But for the bad guys. And they're gonna deserve it.", Evelyn claimed, jumping over the railing and calmly following Rick. Jonathan and Ardeth got off the zeppelin, too, both walking side by side. "I hope when I have kids that they don't have me chase them across a county while risking my life like this. I think I can handle bad grades and crayons on the wall.", Jonathan commented, spotting his sister rounding a pillar while humming. Ardeth glanced down at him. "You thought about having children?"

"I hope to have children one day. I may even adopt. Never know. How about you?"

"Honestly? I wanted children of my own. But with the right person. With my life, there's only a selective of people I can keep close. I'm allowed to have a family of course, but I want one with someone I know I can love forever."

Jonathan blushed at the words, not sure how to reply to that. He admitted to himself that he was hopelessly in love with the other man, but when he mentioned wanting a family, too, he couldn't stop himself from imagining that life with him. Of course, with them both being dudes, they were going to have to adopt, but that wouldn't have mattered. Jonathan would love them regardless of who's blood ran through their veins. Ardeth may do so, too. The magi, in Jonathan's opinion, would make the perfect father for any child. And hopefully, he would be the father of his children.

Ardeth noticed how dazed Jonathan looked at the moment. The slightly smaller man was stiff, his face was red, and his stare was blank. "Um… Jonathan?"

"…"

"Jonathan?"

"…"

"Jonathan!"

"Huh? What?"

At the shout of his name, the Carnahan brother snapped out of his trance, his eyes meeting Ardeth's concern filled ones. He blushed even deeper. "Um… sorry about that…"

"Are you alright?"

"Just fine!" He cleared his throat, realizing how high his voice gotten. "Just fine. It's just… heat. It's the heat."

The other was about to comment to that just as a shout was heard and a thump. The duo ran and found Rick laying stomach up, eyes closing and making small noises. Evelyn was stuck beneath him, laying stomach down in the sand while the gunslinger laid on her back, squishing her. The brunette was squirming, trying her best to get free. "Help! Help! He's heavy!"

Jonathan started laughing at his sister's predicament. "Ha, ha! This is way too funny!"

"Stop laughing, Jonathan, and help me up, damn it!"

"Alright! Alright!"

The two men, who were conscious, rolled Rick off Evelyn, the sole woman moaning while arching her back to get it back in shape. "Damn, he is heavy. Thank goodness, I found Alex's message before it was crushed.", she muttered, revealing the jacket she had under her. "They're headed to the Great Temple of Abu Simbel."

"Horus!"

From the zeppelin, said bird squawked, flapping his wings which frightened Izzy, and headed off to Ardeth. The magi pulled out a small piece a paper and a writing utensil from his robes, wrote a quick note and attached it to the bird's leg. Horus then flew off from them, heading to who knows where. "Horus is going off to inform the commanders of Imhotep and his followers' next location."

"Oh yeah. I honestly forgot why Horus was here. I can't believe you gave that bird that name."

"Quiet, Evelyn."

Rick was then lifted over Ardeth's shoulder as if he was a sack of potatoes. Apparently, he weighed nothing to the magi. The trio and an unconscious Rick boarded back onto the zeppelin, Izzy taking off when they were set.

"Where to next?"

"Abu Simbel. Hey, wonder how they actually arrived to Aida Philae? It's a small island within a large body of water, apparently. Maybe they took a boat."

"Obviously. How else would they have crossed over to the island, Jonathan?", Evelyn sassed, catching Rick tossing in his unconscious state.

"Well, we flew."

"Not the point!"

"Hey, is O'Connell alright?", the pilot asked just as the zeppelin flew over the temple below. Ardeth nodded.

"He's just fine. Just having a vision."

* * *

_**His hold on the edge of the stone floor was waning fast. If he didn't think of anything within the next few seconds, he knew his life would be over and sent to the Underworld. He didn't want that. No, not after coming to grips with his feelings for the other man. But the look in his eyes told him to go and save himself and his family.** _

_**Stones were crashing down to the floor, the walls rumbling and shaking. Roars and moans of distress can be heard from within the portal that the other hung from.** _

" _ **We have to go and we have to go now!"**_

_**Blue eyes shifted to where Jonathan and Alex were, both clenching onto each other as they waited for the rest of the family to make it over. Evelyn had narrowly dodged a falling stone, almost stumbling back. "Come on!"** _

" _ **Wait, I-"**_

" _ **GO!"**_

_**A panic filled gaze landed on the man just hanging on the ledge. "But-"** _

" _ **Leave! Save yourself and your family! Go!"**_

_**With the command given, a heavy sense of dread weighed down onto his heart. His hands clenched and unclenched against the pillar, the decision to whether or not save the other. "Dad! This whole place is about to collapse! We have to go!"** _

_**It was then that one hand slipped from the edge of the floor when his feet moved on their own, a shout released from his throat.** _

* * *

"It's hot, it's hot. It's so very, very hot."

"If you don't shut your mouth this instant, I won't hesitate to push you off that camel."

" **Lock-Nah…"**

"He's asking for it, Lord Imhotep."

"Alright, alright. I'll be quiet. Jeez."

The group had just left Abu Simbel, heading off to their next location. They had two days before they had to reach Ahm Shere, and they weren't all that far away.

From the sack attached from his camel, Alex pulled out a book and flipped to the first page, beginning his reading. Imhotep looked back at him and then back to the front. Meela rode on her own camel, but stayed close to his. Lock-Nah and Hafez were just behind him, the curator engaged in a book as well while Lock-Nah kept on an apathetic scowl. Despite what Imhotep said, he really did want to kick Alex off his camel. "Stupid damn brat…"

"I heard that! And I'm far from stupid, thank you very much!"

"I don't care!"

"Hey, you two! Can it, will you?!", Meela scowled, glaring at the boy and the red robed man. Lock-Nah and Alex glared at each other before turning away from each other. A squawk was heard from above and Lock-Nah's dark eyes spotted a bird flying across the sky. His gaze narrowed, finding the bird quite suspicious. It couldn't just be flying solo across just to be doing so. No, it couldn't. It had some purpose.

* * *

"Hm. You've been awfully quiet."

Rick turned from the sight of the river below him and looked at Jonathan beside him. A light blush decorated his cheeks from his thoughts he was currently having.

His visions weren't anything new to him. But… the ones he was having now gave him chills and uncertainties. Eight years ago, if someone told him that a man, a mummy from ancient Egypt was in love with him, he probably would have shoot that person. When he first met Imhotep, he couldn't believe that he was in love with him. Well, more so his incarnation, Rishid. And the icing on the cake was that Rishid's feelings was mutual. But as of now?

No. Those feelings for the mummified priest was long gone the moment Rick was born. When Rishid died and passed on, so did his love for Imhotep. It was one trait that wasn't passed on to the gunslinger. Or was it?

Whenever Imhotep crossed his mind, Rick felt something between fear and some other unknown emotion. It made his stomach turn, and his throat dry from it. At first, he just thought it was stress, knowing that his little boy was kidnapped by the high priest and his followers. Adding insult to that injury, one of them was Meela, Anck-su-namun's incarnation. The very woman who hated his guts in ancient times and now. She could do anything to Alex, but he was grateful that his son decided to put on the bracelet. Ardeth wouldn't have mentioned what it could do if it wasn't true. So right now, that bracelet was his only protection.

In this case, stress wasn't what had Rick shaking in his boots. Whatever it was, he didn't like it.

"Have I?", Rick questioned, his blue eyes meeting Jonathan's darker ones. The shorter one nodded. "Yeah. Is something wrong? You know you can talk to me."

Over the past eight years, Rick came to realize that Jonathan was a compassionate person. He always placed others' feelings before his own and he was a good listener when someone needed him to. Sure, Jonathan could easily get on his nerves, but that's something he shared with his sister. The older Carnahan was indeed a lifesaver. He always comforted anybody at the worst of times when no one else could. And he always waited. He'll come to you first to assure you wanted to talk, but if you didn't want to then, he'll be patient for you to go to him. That was made Jonathan a good friend to Rick. He was lucky he did meet the man.

Rick gave a sad smile before looking back down over the railing. It was still daytime, so the river looked more crystal blue at the moment.

"I… I just have been thinking, Jonathan."

"Oh?", the smaller inquired, leaning over the railing, too. Both were clueless to the dark clad male checking out the older Carnahan's butt.

"I'm worried for Alex, I am. But… something else is tearing at me."

"Your visions?"

Rick nodded. "They're… whenever I have one now, all I can see is  _him_. I'm starting to re-think this whole thing about him. Before, all I ever felt was anger when he crosses my mind. Now?" Rick released a dry chuckle with a small shake of his head, some of his bangs falling over his left eye. "I feel something else. In one of them, sadness just flooded over me. And the next one gave an overflow of fear."

"Well, what exactly you see in those visions? If you don't mind telling me, of course."

"I don't. I think it's high time I actually told someone what I've seen. I mean if Evelyn could do it, I think I can."

And he told. He gave as much detail about his visions to Jonathans as he could. From what words were said, what place he seen, everything. A few minutes later, the two fell into a silence. For Rick, to collect his thoughts. For Jonathan, to figure out his.

"Rick, I came up with a theory, but I don't think you're gonna like it."

"How so?"

"Remember how eight years ago, you took every chance to reject Imhotep when he pursued you?"

"… yeah."

"Well, think about it now. Do you get a bubbling feeling in your stomach?"

"I do."

"Can't think about nothing but him when he first crosses your mind?"

"Uh huh."

"Alright. Now think about his relationship with Anck-su-namun. Or rather her… modern day self. How do you feel about that?"

Rick took a couple of minutes to digest that. The moment he did, his chest clenched in agony, making him shake. "I hate her for sure. Since ancient Egypt apparently. And… my chest feels odd thinking about them together."

"Good or bad?"

"Good just days before. Now? Bad, very bad."

"One more question. You won't throw me over this thing if I tell you this, right?"

Rick narrowed his gaze, feeling unsure about this. He noted how frightened Jonathan looked, and obviously shocked about whatever he came up with. "Jonathan, what is it?"

"Promise me you won't throw me over this zeppelin, okay?"

"I promise."

"Alright."

But to be sure, Jonathan took two steps back. "Okay. Rick, I'm not playing any joke on you. I swear… but… you're… you're in love."

Rick's eyes widened at the declaration. He blinked, now certain that he had some crazy curse on him. "I… I'm what?!"

"You're in love. And supposedly with Imhotep."

Silence. Pure, horrendous mad silence.

"OH MY GODS! RICK, PULL JONATHAN BACK UP NOW!"

"AAAAHHH! YOU PROMISED, O'CONNELL!"

"TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK!"

"IT'S THE TRUTH!"

"I WILL DROP YOU!"

"O'CONNELL, DON'T YOU DO THAT!"

"YOU'RE THE DESIGNATED DRIVER, IZZY! YOU HAVE NO SAY! NO SAY!"

"HEY! I'LL THROW YOU OVERBOARD!"

"WHY IS EVERYONE YELLING?!"

"ARDETH, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"… sorry…"

Jonathan was settled back on his feet once Evelyn forced Rick to put him down. She actually put him in a headlock to get him to stop trying to throw her brother over the edge. As of now, Izzy was back to flying the aircraft, Ardeth was comforting Jonathan who was blushing and pale, Evelyn was settled on the floor next to Rick who was blushing from both embarrassment and anger.

"Not true. Not true.", he hissed, pointing at Jonathan.

"Yes, it is. Trust me. I know from firsthand experience."

The gunslinger stopped panting out of anger. His scowl was quickly replaced with an impish grin of mischief. "You're right! Jonathan, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay."

"He likes you back."

"O'Connell!", Ardeth snapped, when he caught Rick's fast glimpse at him. The brunet shrugged.

"What?"

"Shut it."

"What?"

"Just be quiet."

"Hey, fellas! There's the waterfall!", Evelyn shouted, pointing over the rails.

The others stood and followed her gaze, seeing that she was indeed right. "That's the Blue Nile down there.", Rick voiced. Izzy glanced his way.

"How'd you know that?"

"I do my research. Hey, just because I have a knack for shooting people doesn't mean I don't like to read once in a while.", he answered with a pout. The thought of reading then reminded him of a certain family member. "Hey, I wonder how Terence is doing right now."

"If he knew about this little journey, he's gonna give us all an earful later.", Evelyn added, wondering herself. "One, for finding the bracelet which is my fault. Two, for almost getting killed. Three, the Medjai allowing Imhotep to be reawaken again."

"Oh yeah, we suck. But it will be on him, too.", Ardeth pointed out.

"Four, allowing his grandson to be kidnapped. Five, said grandson is wearing the bracelet I found. Six, heading to an oasis that is said that no one ever returned from."

"And if we do return from it, we will be getting that lecture. I don't want to go through that.", Rick whined, Jonathan close to tears at the thought of it. Ardeth actually paled, too.

After the whole first mummy incident, the group thought they were off the hook after they straightened up the library. But a week after that, the curator had gathered all four of the adults into his office and gave them a three-hour long speech about it. He pointed why each one was guilty, Evelyn the most blamed one. Who should have done what, and even gave a history lesson about the Books and key used to unlock them. Because it was so tensed, his lecture replayed in their heads for two days after that. All be damned if they have to go through with that again. Oh and poor Alex if he had to go through with it as well!

"L-let's forget about that. We should be on the lookout. Alex probably left us another sandcastle or something."

* * *

Unknown to them, below by the waterfall, three sets of eyes watched as the zeppelin entered into a rocky passage. Imhotep knew who it was and decided to deal with them. Taking off his robe, which drew Meela's attention, he stepped into the water.

Meanwhile, just behind a rock…

"Hm. Is it a three or four sided pyramid? Eh, doesn't matter.", Alex muttered to himself, adjusting a line of sand to form a straight line. He sat up, finished and marveling at his work. "I should totally take up sculpting."

"I reckon not!"

SMASH!

The blonde as the foot went down on his work. He was then lifted into the air and held up. "HEY! PUT ME DOWN, YOU BIG BRUTE!"

"You've been leaving little messages to your parents, haven't you, huh?! Wasting water?!", Lock-Nah growled, stepping closer to the water. Alex groaned. "Hey, I drunk some of the water! Also, it's  _parent_! She's my aunt! I thought I cleared that with you people!"

"It doesn't matter! They're gonna die anyways!"

"No they're not! Jerk! Asshole! You butt lick!"

"No you didn't!"

"I did!"

"ARGH!"

" **Lock-Nah, put the boy down!"** , Imhotep demanded, crossing his arms. Lock-Nah huffed and dropped Alex in the sand, ignoring his groan of pain. He missed the rude gesture Alex gave him, not really caring to know either.

Imhotep looked at Alex with a malicious smirk. **"I hope your family enjoyed the journey."** , he teased before raising his hands. In doing so, the water surrounding him rose up, forming a huge wall, causing a bit of a rumble. Meela and Hafez clung onto each other in shock like little kids. "I didn't know he could do that!", they shouted as the huge tidal wave went forward after the zeppelin.

At the sound of rushing water, Izzy had looked back. His eyes widened at the abnormal movement of the water. "WE'RE IN TROUBLE!", he shouted, steering the aircraft passed some rocks. As the face of Imhotep appeared, the other four screamed.

"OH MY GODS!"

"FIRST SAND, NOW WATER?! THAT'S UNFAIR!"

"SON OF A BITCH! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"OH HELL NO! IZZY, TURN RIGHT! STARBOARD! STARBOARD!"

The pilot steered the ship, the engines blasting fire for them to go faster and avoid the water. At the sudden adjust of speed, the four lost their balance. Rick landed on his back, regretting ever coming to Egypt and meeting Imhotep. Evy landed with her back against the wooden railings, legs upwards, and upside-down with her head on the floor. Ardeth and Jonathan tumbled into each other's arms. They locked eyes and blushed at their positions.

"…"

"…"

"Izzy, can you try not to throw us off, please?!", Rick sassed, getting up on his feet dizzily. He blinked a couple of times to break off the shakiness. He spotted the water wave again and glared at it. "IMHOTEP, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT YOUR ASS IS SURELY NOW KICKED THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU IN PERSON! YOU ASSHOLE! YOU BASTARD! YOU MUMMIFIED JERK! STEALING MY KID! HOW DARE YOU!"

Evelyn and Izzy exchanged looks. "Is he…?"

"Nothing new."

"Izzy! Make this thing go faster!"

"O'Connell, is there something you forgot to mention?! Hmmm?!"

"Oh, you mean how Rick's ex-boyfriend has got the powers to summon natural disasters?", Jonathan teased. Rick glared at him.

"He's not my ex, thank you very much!"

"Had me fooled!"

"Ah… people…", Ardeth called, standing at the end of the zeppelin. Evelyn, Rick and Jonathan walked over to where the magi was and spotted an oasis before them. The gunslinger fondled through one of the bags and pulled out a pair of binoculars. Glancing through them, he spotted something gleaming in a distance. "We're here."

"Whoo!", Evelyn cheered just as a splash was heard. The group turned and spotted the water rushing back towards them.

"HE'S BACK!"

"EVERYONE, HANG ON!"

Izzy screamed before forcing the zeppelin to go its fastest. By the end of the passage, the zeppelin's engines died. The group gasped, exchanged glances and then took hold of each other as their lives depended on it. In reality, this situation was a life or death one.

The aircraft was ambushed by the water, forced down into the greenery below.

And from the source, Alex watched as Imhotep left the water with shocked, dull blue eyes. "Dad?", he muttered quietly. "Aunt Evy? Uncle Jon? Uncle Ardeth?"

The high priest strolled past him, patting on his head which made Alex pull away from him with a grunt. He glared at the man as he went over to Meela who handed him his robe with an adoring smile. "Jerk…"

"Aaaahhh. Are you sad, little boy?", Hafez taunted.

They expected for Alex to start crying, but that wasn't what he had in mind. Instead…

"OOOWWW! MY JEWELS!"

"You deserve it!", Alex hissed before stepping over the injured curator who was holding his groin in agony. Meela covered her mouth from laughing, Lock-Nah stood gawking at the scene, Shafek had just shown up in time to see it and blinked, and Imhotep smirked, seeing that Alex was  _definitely_  Rick O'Connell's son.

" **We should go now. We're running out of time."** , the mummy reminded.

"Someone… help me…", Hafez muttered, face in the sand. Lock-Nah rolled his eyes. "Even I wouldn't have teased the kid like that.", he sassed, picking up the older man and throwing him over his shoulder, carrying him like a sack.

The evil peeps surely were positive that now nothing could stop them. Truly? Each of them was concerned that the O'Connell-Carnahan family was going to be quite an obstacle from stopping their 'lord' from gaining control of the Army of Anubis and the world. Now, they were out of the way.

* * *

 Yeah, right! They survived!

"Woo, that was a ride!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! My ass is killing me!"

"Hey, where's Rick?"

"I'm up here."

The other four looked up and found Rick climbing down a tree where part of the zeppelin was stuck in. He dropped to the ground gracefully, landing on his feet. "One thing I can say for sure about being Rishid's reincarnation is that I got his movements! Reflexes!", he whooped just as Horus landed on Ardeth's shoulder, back with a message.

Izzy stood up and gawked at the destruction of his precious aircraft, his lips formed in a painful frown. "This… this… NO! NO! NO! This can't be happening!" He turned to the others with a death glare. "Why didn't you tell me about _that_?!"

"We didn't think he was going to pull a stunt like that. Honestly, we didn't.", Evelyn answered truthfully, picking up a bag of weapons. She smirked, pulling out a gun. "Oh, I'm gonna have so much fun with this."

"Evy, wait till we meet up with the bad guys again, okay?", Rick warned, prepping his guns. "Izzy, think you can get this thing to work? We have to get out of here fast."

The pilot crossed his arms. "Uh… no. This thing is filled with gas, not hot air. Gas, O'Connell, to get this thing of the ground. Where am I going to get gas from, huh?"

"Natural resources!", Evelyn answered.

Izzy was about to retort, but thought about it. "Hm. Alright, maybe I could use natural resources."

"Why wouldn't hot air work?", Ardeth questioned.

"I could use hot air, but you know how many cubic meters I'd need?"

Rick smiled and patted Izzy on the bad. "I know you could do it, Izzy. If anyone can fill this thing up with hot air, it's you!"

The pilot gave him a blank stare before sighing. "Great words of encouragement."

"I try. Now come on! We have my baby boy to save, a mummy to kill and an army to send back!"

Picking up a gun, Jonathan spotted his almost forgotten gold prize. He glanced at Izzy, finding the man distracted while moaning in distress at the damage, before picking up the item and tucking it into his jacket pocket. He quickly followed the others into the jungle, meeting up to Ardeth's side.

The magi had just attached another note to the bird, sending Horus off.

"So, Rick, what's the plan?"

"Well, we should find some higher ground. Advantage, my brother."

"Ah."

Unknown to them, someone was already at high ground… well, in a tree. With a gun in his hands, his aim locked and loaded, he fired away without any reluctance. Seconds later, the sound of a distressed, agonizing squawk was heard.

The group was alarmed by the sound and turned to find Horus landing on the ground, stiff and surely dead. At the sight of the bird, Ardeth fell to his knees. "HORUS! NNNNOOOO!"

"Oh my gods! Who would do such a thing?", Evelyn muttered sadly, watching as the black clad man lift his bird and cradle it to his chest. Jonathan was settled by his side, arms wrapped around his shoulders. "I really liked him, too."

"I admit I like him, too. Ardeth, calm down, okay? How about we have a small funeral for Horus or something?", Rick suggested sincerely, hoping it would ease the magi's nerves.

Ardeth, though had no tears, sniffled. "Alright."

So a few moments, the four found a clear area to bury the bird, did so, had a few moments of praying for the bird's afterlife and silence before moving on.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Night fell again, the night before the Scorpion King and his army was to arise.

Imhotep and his group were passing through the trees, coming across a clearing of skeletons, some of them adorning armor from foreign countries. Shafek gulped, seeing the display of it all chilling. "Is… is…?"

"Yup. The rumored men said to have never returned.", Meela pointed out. Alex rolled his eyes, two men standing guard of him since Lock-Nah was now let off from that duty. "Actually, it's no longer rumored if it appears to be true."

"You know what I meant, child!"

"Hey! Don't yell at me! I'll have my Aunt Evy kick your ass!"

"I highly doubt that, little one."

"Wench!"

"Hey!"

" **Quiet!"** , Imhotep demanded, ceasing the small fight between the two. Meela scoffed, glaring back at Alex before averting her eyes. That boy was on her Kill List now, along with Rick, her rival from ancient Egypt, and the mention of Evelyn had her boiling in anger as well. She, too, was on that list. She knew about Evelyn being Princess Nefertiri's reincarnation and hated her for it. For one, she became Anck-su-namun's enemy since the woman was going to marry her father and become queen before the princess. Two, it seems only logical since Anck-su-namun was Rishid's killer, the training Seer being a close friend of the princess. But neither Rick or Evelyn had knowledge to that. Although, Rick may have a clue.

"Geez, what in the name of Anubis did this?", Lock-Nah muttered.

As if on cue, the rustling of bushes was heard, alerting the men, single woman and kid. Guns and swords were drawn.

"That didn't sound too good.", Alex muttered, walking a bit faster.

* * *

"Did you hear that?", Rick asked, his group just a few yards away from the evil guys… and girl. He, too, heard the rustling and swore he heard some distinct voices.

"What?", Ardeth questioned.

It became silent again. Rick glanced about, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "Um… nothing. Absolutely nothing."

The group came up to a small cliff and rested there. They decided to take that time to prepare for the upcoming fight that was undeniably set to happen. Jonathan's attention had then been captured by something peculiar within the trees. He stepped closer and was spooked out about what he saw. Within the bark was heads. Actual heads of people that probably stumbled upon Ahm Shere years and years before. Their own faces blending into the bark. "Ew. My word, chaps! Look at this!"

"Jonathan, what is it?", Rick questioned, loading up a shotgun and then sticking a stick of dynamite within his pouch.

"Um… there's heads within these trees. Hm… I wonder how that happened…"

The other three turned to the man and gave him blank expressions. Jonathan blushed before going back over to them shyly. "I was just curious…"

"Well, when you find out you wouldn't want to know anymore.", Evelyn sassed, eying her brother. Jonathan stuck his tongue at her. He then picked up a gun, cocking it, signifying he was armed and dangerous. Ardeth walked up to the smaller man, arms crossed and a small smirk on his lips. "Any good with that?"

Jonathan smirked back at him.

"Hey, just because I can come off a bit cowardly, doesn't mean I'm not capable of shooting anybody. Trust me, I have some hidden techniques under here, I'll have you know. I'm a shooting champion. You any good with that?", he teased back, gesturing to the sword strapped to Ardeth's waist. The magi had let out a laugh before quickly drawing out the weapon and pinning Jonathan with it, holding the blade to his neck, shocking the other. "We'll know soon enough. The only way to kill an Anubis warrior is by taking off his head."

The smaller male's face became redder at the husky reply. "I'll remember that."

Ardeth sheathed his sword back before his eyes met back with Jonathan's. After a spark, the two separated, the magi heading downhill. Jonathan sighed, knowing he was totally in love. And hot and bothered by the dangerous, killer side of Ardeth. "We'll know soon enough _indeed_."

"Now, Evelyn, keep it tight to your shoulder."

"Got it."

"Lead it to the target."

"Yup!"

"Squeeze the hell out that trigger. And don't pull it. Last time you did when I was giving you this very lesson you-"

Evelyn whacked Rick on the back of his head. "I know how to shoot, O'Connell! I won't miss! Okay?"

"Alright! Alright! You and Jonathan, be careful now.", Rick warned in his usual motherly fashion, glancing at the two blood siblings.

Both rolled their eyes. "We should be telling you and Ardeth that. Lord knows you two have that knack of being wild and head on crazy in battle."

"Hey, I resent that!", Ardeth protested.

"I agree with my sister's statement! Besides, I like that quality about you.", Jonathan teased, with a gleam in his eyes. Ardeth stiffened, suddenly feeling hot under the collar.

"…"

Rick giggled, grabbing Ardeth by the back of his robe and pulling him along.

"Come on, lover boy. You and Jonathan can flirt later."

As the two disappeared from sight, Evelyn glanced at her brother, a smirk on when she finally understood what was going on. Jonathan noticed and blinked. "What?"

"You and Ardeth are in love with each other, aren't you?"

The older shifted on his feet. "Um… maybe… Well, I know I love him for sure."

"The feelings appear to be mutual, brother of mine. So in that case…" Evelyn cocked her shotgun with a grin that spoke of her excitement of what was coming up. "… that's your future husband and my brother-in-law, our brother/best friend and our nephew down there. Let's make them proud."

"Today's that day, Evy."

* * *

A pleased grin formed on his lips as a shimmer of gold, lighting under the moon, was seen. **"The pyramid…"** , Imhotep voiced, taking a hold of Meela's hand. The woman looked at him, a hidden gleam of greed and lust in her eyes. She was just as eager for this. Maybe even more. She loved Imhotep, but not for who he was as a person… or a mummy in this case. She loved him for his power, for what he could do. Also, he wasn't bad to look at either! The man had a body, thank you very much! In ancient times, Anck-su-namun fell for Imhotep for his aura of power and had been damned if anyone had gotten their claws on him before she did. That led to her poisoning Rishid. Imhotep fell for him and Anck-su-namun had almost thought with Rishid's resisting against the priest, he wouldn't return the feelings. But seeing the two kiss one night, she grew jealous and wrathful. So, when she had the chance she got the Seer out the way. And once Imhotep mourned for his lost, she went in and made him forget about his first love. And it had seemed to have stuck over the years since now he appeared to care less for Rick and more for her. After all, he was willing to rule the world for Meela.

Alex gulped, feeling a surge of energy from the bracelet, a tingling on his skin under the artifact. "Cripes, I'm in trouble now."

Lock-Nah suddenly spoke up, realizing that since they were close to the pyramid, Alex didn't have wear the bracelet. "Now may I kill him?!"

The blonde yelped at the questioned, taking cover behind Shafek.

" **My Lord, now there's no need for the boy."** , Hafez voiced. Imhotep continued walking, his steps just as silent as the jungle.  **"Yes, but we need the bracelet. It will unlock the Army of Anubis."** , he reminded blandly. Hafez turned to Lock-Nah who looked quite eager now. "The bracelet, the bracelet is the key. Retrieve that bracelet, Lock-Nah."

"With pleasure!"

Alex shouted in fear as Lock-Nah turned and started to advance to him.

And just a few yards away, Rick halted, hearing the shouting, his mind filling with the image of his son backed against a tree with a dark shadow looming over him. "Alex…"

Suddenly, the air appeared tensed and icy. An ominous wind passed through and squealing was heard. The group stopped, even Alex and Lock-Nah who were frozen in mid-chase. Eyes glanced around them, hearing the noises and seeing the leaves moving.

"Something is coming.", Shafek whimpered.

"Fan out, eyes open and guns up!", Lock-Nah ordered before he continued his chase.

Suddenly, one of the men was pulled down into the high grass, his shout gurgled. All hell broke then as some more screams were heard.

Over their heads, they spotted something small, old and… very, very maniacal.

Rick blinked. "Was… was that a pygmy mummy?!"

Just as he said that, one of the said creatures appeared and jumped onto one of the robed men, attacking him. "RUN!", Shafek shouted as the group began running and shooting to avoid being killed by any pygmy mummy. With that set off, above, Evelyn and Jonathan started shooting, both shouting like soldiers. "Take that, you sons of bitches!", Evelyn laughed maniacally. "Headshot!"

* * *

With them as cover, Rick and Ardeth ran in, dodging and taking down many of the men.

Imhotep and Meela averted their eyes over and spotted the gunslinger who just punched out one of the guys, dodging the swing of his sword beforehand. His own blue eyes spotted them, sudden anger and a hint of jealous in his chest. And just like that, the jungle had seemed to have disappeared, altering into gold. The three didn't see Ahm Shere anymore. No. The scene around them was Ancient Egypt, specifically Thebes. Rick looked down and noticed his skin was just a bit darker and he wasn't adorning his traveling clothes. Instead, he wore white silk and gold robes, and matching jewelry. Looking up, he didn't see Imhotep and Meela as they were now, but how they were then. Meela wasn't Meela, but Anck-su-namun. The mistress still held her striking, venomous aura, a glare of hate in her eyes. Imhotep was in his usual black priest robes. He looked in between the two, as if he was deciding something.

When his gaze stopped at Rick once more, he spoke.  **"Rishid…"**

" **Imhotep…"** , the other answered back, baffled that he was able to speak the foreign ancient tongue.

Meela, or Anck-su-namun, hissed.  **"No! You're not taking him away from me again! I'll kill-"**

"HELP!"

Rick snapped out of his shared trance, seeing he was back to the jungle with chaos running around him. He easily recognized the shout of his son, and ran off, forgetting about the couple.

"ALEX! ALEX!"

Said blonde was backed against a tree, shaking as Lock-Nah approached him, ready to slice and dice him. "There you are! The time has come, my little one!", he laughed, raising the sword. Alex screamed, alerting Rick to his right. The man ran forward and took hold of his son, running off with him just as Lock-Nah's sword embedded within the bark of the tree. He growled at the interrupted moment. He was looking forward to it. "Damn."

"You know; you shouldn't go around killing people like that. You never know if you piss someone off. Especially if that someone is your victim's uncle!"

Lock-Nah turned in time to get punched in the face by Ardeth. He stumbled back, holding his nose and moved his hand and saw blood. Twirling his sword, he glared at his rival. "I may not have been able to kill the brat, but your life will do just fine as a replacement."

Ardeth scoffed, aiming his own sword. "We'll see about that."

The two clashed swords, their fight pursuing on, ignoring the men being killed by the pygmies around them.

Back and forth they went, both determined to be the one to end this. Lock-Nah was undeniably strong, but Ardeth was holding on his own just fine. With a swift duck of Lock-Nah's weapon, he brought his blade back up, catching the other off guard and slicing his chest upward from his right hip to his left shoulder. Lock-Nah froze, blood spilling from his lips. He sent one more glare up at Ardeth before falling onto his knees and then on his stomach, now lifeless.

Ardeth had let out a breath of relief, feeling victorious and a bit pumped up. Unknown to him, one of the robed men had a gun aimed at his back, ready to shoot.

A gunshot was heard a split second later, but no smoke came from the man's gun and no bullet had gone through Ardeth. The black clad one looked over his shoulder to see the mook fall lifeless. He then glanced up and spotted the one he yearned for with his gun pointing at the man who was going to kill him. Jonathan smiled at him before resuming his shooting. Ardeth blushed, thankful that his life was saved, also hot and bothered at Jonathan's bold saving. "Yup… he's mine."

* * *

Meanwhile…

"I can't believe this!"

Hafez had long run from the chaotic mess, two of the robed men with him. He was determined to live and arrive at the pyramid to further serve Imhotep. He knew Imhotep would make it since he did have powers and there was no way in hell some pygmy mummy was going to harm him in any way.

He turned to the men, shaking and in fear. The men were looking around, both close to pissing their pants. "You two must stay here and protect me.", Hafez said. They paled. Did he just…?

Before they could ask, he ran off. The moment he did, five pygmy mummies jumped them, sending the men flat on their stomachs with shouts of terror. One of the pygmies even had the nerve to dance on one of the men as if he was some ballroom dance floor.

* * *

Rick and Alex came to a halt, Evelyn, Jonathan and Ardeth meeting up with them. The gunslinger settled the boy to his feet, bending over to catch his breath. The woman of the five, took Alex in her arms, hugging him tightly. "Oh Alex! I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Yeah! Say, who are those creepy little pygmies?", Jonathan questioned out of the blue. Rick waved him off, standing back up. "Oh, nothing. Just the local natives." He then took his son back in his arms, kissing his hair and hugging him like his life depended on it. Alex groaned. "Dad! Dad!"

"Sorry. I'm just so relieved that you're alive. I missed you so much!"

"I know. I missed you, too."

"Yeah, your father was about to throw a fit and go on a murderous rampage several times.", Ardeth teased. Rick glared at him.

"Shut up."

"Anyways, since Alex is back, I must go and meet with the commanders to help them stop the Army of Anubis if they are awakened.", the magi voiced. Jonathan grabbed onto his sleeve before he could walk off. "Wait. Do you really have to go?"

Ardeth nodded. "Yes. But I promise I'll come back to you."

Jonathan's eyes widened. "You… you will?"

"Of course."

Once those words were spoken, the smaller male was pulled into a much needed kiss. Rick immediately covered Alex's eyes while Evelyn and him blushed as Jonathan was held by his waist and kissed by the magi. The kiss was a quick one, but a damn good one to both ends. The two shared a stare of hope, comfort, and promise before sharing one more. Ardeth ended it regretfully before running off.

Jonathan was left with a dazed look and a matching blush. "Wow."

"And he was waiting eight years to do that.", Rick admitted.

Jonathan glanced at him. "Eight years?!"

"Yeah."

"I was in love with him for that long! We could have been doing this!"

Rick face palmed. "You both are clueless dopes!"

Alex suddenly pulled at Rick's arm. "Dad, come on! We have to get to the pyramid! I have to get this bracelet off now!"

"Leave it on, Alex. Looks good on you. Really.", Evelyn teased.

Alex shook his head. "No! You don't understand! Imhotep told me the bracelet will kill me if I don't get inside the pyramid before the sun hits it… TODAY!"

"Oh my god!", Rick exclaimed.

"Eeek!"

Hearing the noises, the group immediately hauled ass.

As they rushed past bushes and trees, above them was the pygmies, hell-bent on wanting to fuck with the still living people. It's not often when you get victims come into Ahm Shere, just sitting bait.

Jonathan had split one tree hearing a squeak, losing the other three and bumping into Shafek who, too was being chased. He had hauled ass long ago the moment the pygmies attacked.

The two stumbled upon some clear area, surrounded by stones. The pygmies hadn't appeared again.

"It's a burial ground, we're safe! See those sacred stones, they'll never cross them!", Jonathan informed, hoping he was right. Shafek whimpered. "Are you sure?"

Jonathan crossed him arms, showing how offended he looked and a bit like a sassy woman. "Yes, of course, I'm sure!"

Just as that was said, a pygmy trackbacked to the entrance of the 'burial ground'. He squeaked before vaulting over the stones with his spear and shouting. Jonathan ducked with a scream. Shafek was then the unlucky victim. The pygmy landed on his chest, spending the spear through it. Jonathan was in horror at the scene. "AAAAHHHHHH!"

The pygmy glanced at him and screamed himself, jumping off Shafek and into a tree, scampering away. With the last of his energy, Shafek glimpsed at Jonathan in surprise. "Sorry, my mistake!", the man apologized before running off. He came to a large log that served a bridge, which Alex, Evelyn and Rick crossed over. He followed them, whimpered as he could hear the pygmy mummies chase after them. Just as he got to the other side, he saw Rick light up a stick of dynamite. "Um…"

"Oh, something I had in case for an emergency.", the gunslinger chuckled, tossing it in time for a pygmy to catch it. Another grabbed for it, but he was kicked off the log. Just as the pygmies made it halfway…

BOOM!

The log broke in two, the critters catching on fire and falling to their doom.

Rick laughed. "How I love explosions!"

"Uh… Rick!", the librarian shouted, catching his attention. The group spotted a blaze of light peeking over the horizon. Fear ran through all of them. "Come on, Alex!", Rick urged, grabbing onto Alex's smaller hand and leading him to the direction of the pyramid.

The sun was beginning to rise behind them, timing how much longer it would be. Alex had stumbled to his feet, feeling heavier and weaker with the bracelet practically squeezing his wrist. "Dad, the bracelet…", he whined. Rick quickly lifted his boy into his arms and running off with him. Anxiety filled him heart, hoping they would make it. He lost Alex once, and he didn't want to lose him again. And not to forever this time.

The gunslinger had soon arrived to the sandy area of the pyramid, he passed the many statues of Anubis… talk about a god complex… the sunlight hitting his path, following him right on his heels. He was beginning to feel exhausted, but he was dead set on making it. He skipped some steps, leaping forward under the shelter of the pyramid just as the sun fully revealed itself, its light hitting the pyramid and making it glow. The duo landed on the ground, their breaths released in relief.

They panted, setting their heartbeats back to the proper pace as the bracelet unclipped from Alex's arm. He tossed it away in anger before turning to his father. "You know… it's not easy being a dad.", Rick panted, eyes closed.

Alex placed his arms around the man's neck, nuzzling in his chest. "Yeah, but you do it really well."

"Thanks."

They two hugged, knowing that the boy was safe and back where he belonged. With his family. Rick then pulled Alex away, enough to look him in the eyes. "Next time we go on a search for an artifact, find it and bring it home, if you're tempted to put it on, think about what happened over the past week, alright?"

"Alright."

They two resumed their hugging just as the Carnahans ran up, both sighing in happiness. "They made it! Thank God!", Evelyn exclaimed, Jonathan nodding in agreement.

Unknown to them, two black clad individuals came waltzing up. Rick's vision from days ago came rushing back to him, a wash of fright going through him. He looked up just at Evelyn was stabbed by Meela, the slightly taller woman, grinning at her with hatred.

"NNNNOOOO! EVY!"

Him and Alex quickly ran from the pyramid as Imhotep grabbed Jonathan and tossed him for the hell of it when he reached for his sister. Meela pulled out the knife from Evelyn's stomach, exchanging glares with the woman before following her priest inside the pyramid. Alex helped Jonathan up to his feet as Evelyn was laid carefully into the sand after Rick caught her. She grabbed onto him, blood on both her hands. "Rick?"

"No, no. Evelyn… d-don't… please don't do this… We… we just got Alex back…", Rick whined sadly, holding his proclaimed sister's hand, holding her close. "Don't you leave us!"

Jonathan had already had tears coming down his face, the dread of the possible death of his only blood relative. "Evy… don't…"

Alex kneeled by her side, not bringing himself to look at the stab wound. "She's going to be alright, isn't she, Dad?", he questioned quietly.

Rick didn't know how to answer him. He swore he felt this before, but he wasn't himself in doing so. He already knew he foreseen this in his first vision when Imhotep was awakened the second time. He felt guilty, blaming himself when he knew he could have prevented this. "Evy… you're gonna be fine… she'll be fine…"

"You… you and I both know I won't be, Rick.", the woman whispered, her eyes drooping as she felt herself draining. Rick shook his head. "Don't say that… please…"

"You boys take care of each other, alright? I love you. All of you.", she voiced quietly, the last of her life fading away. With her eyes closed, Rick went into a panic. "No, Evy! No! Evy! Come back! Come back, please!"

"EVY! NO!", Jonathan cried out, Alex clinging onto him as tears went down his face.

* * *

Hafez had easily slipped past everyone, lucky he had escaped the pygmies and was feeling no regret of leaving the others behind. He looked down and noticed the bracelet. He picked it up, walking into the pyramid to further serve his lord.

* * *

The room was lit up, mysteriously by something or someone. Either way, it was to anyone's guess. Meela and Imhotep traveled down the stairs, looking around while Meela had the Book of the Dead in her hands. The two continued downwards, blind to the black scorpion emblem on the floor. The moment they stepped on it, black shadows appeared, swirling around Imhotep and engulfing him. He could feel some part of him leave with the shadows. It was a familiar feeling, too.

He looked up at some gold items on a shelf and lifted his hand. The items only rattled, but did nothing. When he stopped, one of the items had fell to the ground as if to mock him. Meela blinked.

" **What happened?"** , she asked.

" **The great god Anubis had taken my powers. It seems he wants me to fight as a mortal."** , the priest concluded, pouting. Meela crossed her arms, pouting as well.

"What an asshole…"

* * *

The remaining O'Connell-Carnahan family was now sitting in the sand, neither of them having the motivation to move. Evelyn laid in front of them, her brother holding her cold hand while Alex sat in his father's legs, holding him while Rick softly cried.

"Nothing is going to be the same without her.", Jonathan muttered, wiping away another tear. Rick nodded, his fingers running through Alex's blond locks. "I'm going to miss her quirks."

"I'm going to miss her reading to me, teaching me about history. She's a better teacher than Mr. Brenton.", Alex added, glancing down at Evelyn's lifeless face. "She always gave me such motivation about school, always supporting me."

"And it's the time we supported her. We can't just sit here. We have to avenge our fallen family member.", Rick boasted, gently taking Alex off his lap and standing up. "She wouldn't want us sitting here in our misery and I refuse to. After all, … I saw this happen and I could have stopped it before it did. Now, I'm going to make this right. Evelyn's death shall not be in vain!"

"No, it will not!", Alex shouted.

Jonathan stood up as well. "Yeah. At least she's gone to a better place. Like it says in the good book."

The youngest suddenly smiled. He looked at the two adults, grabbing their arms. "That's it!"

"What?", Rick questioned, wondering why his son was happy all of a sudden. His aunt just died!

"Dad, she has the book. The Book of the Dead! We could get it from her and bring Aunt Evy back!"

Jonathan and Rick's eyes widened. "Right! That could work! Wait, what if she comes back all messed up like Imhotep did?"

"Uncle Jon, from what I was told and remember, Imhotep was cursed before he died. Aunt Evy didn't go through the Hom-Dai."

"Oh, right."

Rick crossed his arms, feeling anger. "Speaking of  _him_ , I'm going to go to try to stop him. You two see if you can retrieve that book and bring Evelyn back. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!", the two saluted.

The gunslinger nodded before running off into the pyramid, hell-bent for someone to get their ass kicked.

* * *

 "Eep! Oh, wait…"

Hafez had come to a bundle of scorpions before him. They squeaked, dangerous and armed with their pinchers and stingers. But they didn't get the chance to use them when he revealed he had on the bracelet.

It worked like a shield, wielding the bracelet in front of him as the scorpions cleared a path. His steps led him forward to an enormous sculpture of a golden scorpion. In the middle was a hole. Big enough to stick your arm through. And he did just that.

The moment he got to his shoulder, he felt something bite at his arm. He released a scream as the room lit up, a rumble following after.

* * *

From outside, a large shadow whooshed from the pyramid, shaped into a scorpion, an insignia of the forthcoming Scorpion King and his army that was given to him by the death god, Anubis.

It flew towards the desert, looming over an army of black clad men on horses, arms with weapons such as guns and swords. Among them was Ardeth, on his own horse and ready for the imminent fight. He knew he had to do this. For his people, for the family he grown to cherish since they came together eight years ago, and for the safety of the world. But most of all, for the love of Jonathan, who held his heart for such a long time. That kiss gave him what he needed to push himself for this battle.

"So it begins…"


	4. Chapter 4

Rick entered into a room, keeping an eye out for anybody or anything. He was still pondering why the inside of the pyramid had lit torches all of a sudden. No one has been here to lit them for years. Maybe magic?

"You're too late, O'Connell!"

The brunet yelped in shock at the shout. He spotted Hafez, who was trying to get his arm out the hole. Rick glared at him, removing his hand from his chest. "Ass!"

"I have released the Army of Anubis! Lord Imhotep shall soon kill the Scorpion King and take command!"

"Not when I get through with him.", Rick promised, regardless of his feelings for Imhotep. He came to terms he loved the priest, but he was highly pissed at him still. It didn't matter if the mummy now loved Meela, he was seriously going to get dumped again. Most definitely.

Since he no longer had his guns, having dropped them in the earlier fight, Rick looked around for a weapon. "Ooh! Score!" He grabbed a double sided axe, finding it suitable to fight with. "I'm so killing him."

"Ah!"

Rick whipped around at the shout and heard a crunching sound from within the walls. He gagged as the curator pulled out his hand, revealing it to be now just bones with saliva covering it. "Ew. So gross.", he restrained before wandering off.

* * *

At the sound of the rumble, Imhotep knew it was time.  **"I must face the Scorpion King alone."** , he declared, taking off his robes. Meela ogled his body for a while before realizing what he said.

" **What?! Alone?! No, you must not!"** , she protested, grabbing onto him.  **"Without your powers he will kill you!"**

Imhotep grabbed the black book.  **"Nothing can stop us, it's our destiny."**

" **But you don't have your powers! You can't fight him alone!"**

" **I must! Besides… you can't fight him. Especially in a dress."**

Meela looked down at the black clothes she adorned before shrugging.  **"You're right. But that doesn't mean anything!"**  She snatched the book away, placing it down. Her hands held onto the side of Imhotep's face, looking into his eyes.  **"I don't want to lose you again."** She drew him into a kiss. Moments later, it was broken, in which led to Imhotep running off. Meela stopped at the doorway, shouting after him, but no dice.

She was left alone to ponder in her thoughts.

A smile graced her elegant features at the pleasure of knowing Imhotep was doing this for her. When he succeeded, the two would have the world at their feet. She always dreamed of it, even since Ancient Egypt.

* * *

"Oh, she is heavy."

"It's not like I could have carried her."

"And Rick just ran off."

"He has to stop Imhotep."

Alex and Jonathan had just arrived to the end of one of the passages, Evelyn being carried by her brother. Must to his displeasure, she was heavier than she looked. And he has carried her before. Must came with being dead.

He noticed the symbols on the wall, recognizing them to be ancient hieroglyphs. "Alex, you realize, of course, this can only be done by someone who can actually read ancient Egyptian? I don't know about you, but I'm a bit rusty."

"Don't sweat about it, Uncle Jon. Aunt Evy taught me well enough."

The blonde silently read the symbols before turning right. "We go right."

"How do you know?"

"Kashish asireni.", he read before glancing up at Jonathan. "That way is to the Scorpion King. And we don't want that."

"N-no, we don't. Think Rick read this?"

"I believe so."

Jonathan's eyes widened. "No way. He can read Ancient Egyptian?".

As the two headed right, Alex nodded. "Yup. Dad just chooses not to show it. Sometimes, he even mutters it in his sleep. I don't think he knows either."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yeah, it's pretty funny actually."

"I bet it is."

The two soon came to another room. They peeked in and saw Meela standing alone by a stone slab, the Book of the Dead resting next to her. Alex looked around and noticed a small black pond on the other side of the room. "Uncle Jon, think you can distract her while I get the book?", he whispered.

Jonathan nodded. "If there's one thing I'm good at is distracting people."

"Good. Let's bring Aunt Evy back to the land of the living."

Quietly, the two crept over to the other side of the room, out of sight and not catching Meela's attention. The older Carnahan settled his sister's body by the black pond before going over to where the evil woman was. Meela spotted him, frowning a bit. "You. You're that woman's brother, aren't you?", she inquired teasingly, stepping closer to him. Jonathan frowned at her.

"Damn right, I am. And you made a grave mistake killing her, too. It's time someone taught you a lesson, wench."

Meela hissed at the insult, remembering how Alex called her the same. "Watch it." She placed up her hands in a fighting position, Jonathan doing the same.

"You should've told yourself that."

She struck first, going for Jonathan's chest, but he unexpectedly blocked it, striking her in the shoulder, making her tumble back. Her dark eyes glanced at him in bafflement. He smirked. "That was for my sister!"

Meela was once again taken by surprise when Jonathan whacked her. "Ow!"

"That, too!"

Having enough, Meela reached and grabbed Jonathan, hitting him in the face like a snake. "Hey! Oh, so now you're mad? Alright."

The two went back and forth, hitting each other. Alex peeked over the stone slab, watching the fight for a moment before grabbing the black book. "That's right, Uncle Jon. Keep her occupied."

* * *

The men across the watched as the shadow sunk into the sand. The sand turned black and almost inky. The men watched as black mounds began to rise up. Within seconds, they formed into large humanoid jackals, adorning rusty gold armor. Each held weapons, snarling across the sand to the equally ready army.

"Oh, boy. We're in for it now.", one of the men muttered, twirling his swords in his hands.

Ardeth cut his eyes to him. "Most definitely. But this is our duty."

"Yeah. Least we could do for letting them awaken the creature again. Terence Bey is going to chew our asses out.", another agreed. Ardeth winced.

"Don't remind me."

"The commanders already have a whole lecture planned out. We're in trouble after this whole thing. In total hell."

"Praise Allah if they won't kill us and try to send us there."

The snarling of the jackals alerted the men out of their small talk. It was just that loud despite them practically being half a mile across the way. "Yikes! They're hungry for some souls, huh?", one of the magi teased.

"They're Anubis' army. God of the Underworld. Of course, they would be."

* * *

The clanging of the gong from somewhere now had Rick's mind in a frenzy. Wielding his weapon, he turned into a lit room, hearing the sound getting louder. Peeking into the room, he spotted Imhotep banging on a gong like no big whoop. Really, all he could see was Imhotep's back, which looked good in the firelight.

' _Wow. I never really… NO! Rick, don't do that! Do not drool over his body! You don't love him. You don't love him.'_

Oh, but he did. Rick tried to convince himself that he wasn't, but no success. No matter how hard he protested on it, he knew that Rishid's feelings for the priest resurfaced. It started off just how it did many, many years ago. Rishid was weary of Imhotep in the beginning, but the priest won in his heart in the end. And now? It happened all over again.

"Why? I just to be his reincarnation.", he whispered to himself before stepping out of the shadows. He slowly and quietly sneaked over to the mummy and raised his axe. He expected as much when the other turned and blocked him with the tool he was using. The two locked eyes, crystal blue meeting dark brown. Imhotep smirked, seeing how pissed off the reincarnated Seer looked.

" **So you want to kill me?"**

Rick broke the force of the two weapons, stepping back. "Honestly, I don't know. You used my son to get here so you can raise an army to rule the world. No one, and I mean  _no one_  messes with my kid like that.", he hissed. "And now Evelyn's dead! She was my best friend, my sister! And trust me, I want nothing more to bring her back, but even that's not enough for me to want to decide whether or not I  _want_  to kill you."

Imhotep watched cautiously as Rick stepped back even further, lowering his weapon just a bit.

"But, I can't have you kill the Scorpion King and take control of the army. I already have innocent blood on my hands and I can't consent to any more of that. So if I must kill you, then I will.", he added, whipping the axe around. Imhotep ducked and took hold of Rick's arm, shoving him against a pillar, and knocking his axe out his hand.

" **So you would kill me, and then you would kill him and send back his army to the Underworld. This I cannot allow."**

"Why? Why do you want to control the Army of Anubis so bad? Is it for her?"

It shocked the priest to hear the ending words. And in doing so, he noticed the strain Rick had in his voice. As if he was trying to resist something. It almost made him want to stop this fighting, to comfort his first love, but Rick seem to have other plans. Using his weight, Rick pushed back the mummy, kicking him back and then punching him. Imhotep grabbed onto a pillar to adjust himself back upwards. He rubbed his jaw and looked at Rick with amusement.

" **Well, that was a dirty move."**

Rick shrugged, keeping himself in a fighting stance. "I've been known to be a dirty fighter. I guess Rishid was, too, since after all, I am his reincarnation."

" **That is true. Rishid was an excellent fighter at best. It was one of his qualities that I loved about him."**

"I bet. Over the past few days I noticed that I've been picking up a lot of his quirks."

" **He was quite feisty, too. Something you are definitely. Also, your son picked up on it."**

"Well, I raised my boy right then."

The gunslinger then went to kick the priest, but Imhotep grabbed his leg and pulled him forward to him. Rick was then forced down onto the hard floor. His wrists were pinned to the ground, held in the other's hands while said other hovered over him between his legs. Rick blushed at the position and the husky look in Imhotep's eyes.

" **If you haven't rejected me before we would have children of our own."**

"Trust me, that wasn't going to happen. Besides…" Rick head-butted Imhotep, forcing the priest off him. He rolled back onto his feet and grabbed a nearby sword. "… you have that bitch now."

* * *

' _Alright, now you have to make it out of this alive. You're gonna go out there and kill those creatures and send their asses back to the Underworld. You're doing this for the sake of the world, your people, your friends, and Jonathan. He's waiting for you, remember that. You didn't wait eight years to kiss him for nothing now.'_

"Ardeth… um… they're coming now…"

The magi looked forward and saw one of the jackals raise his weapon and call out to his army. They then charged forward, going to the Medjai. And just as they were assigned to due since Ancient Egypt, the men raised their own weapons, charging forward as well and vows in their hearts to protect the ones they swore to defend.

Sand flew in different directions as hooves and large feet alike imprinted within it. Shouts and growls of war could be heard from miles away. Weapons, whether silver or gold, gleamed beneath the sun's rays. And then black clashed with black.

* * *

"Is that all you got?"

Meela growled as she went to punch Jonathan. He quickly dodged it, annoying her for the final time. She couldn't take it anymore. Her incensed glare spotted two knifes that a golden statue held. She unsheathed from their resting spot and aimed them at Jonathan. The man gulped, looking for a weapon until he felt the weight within his jacket. He pulled out the golden rod, almost have forgotten from everything that transpired beforehand.

"Hurry up, Alex!", he shouted, using the item to block a thin blade.

By the black pond, Alex had finally found the appropriate inscription and began reading from it. He paused for a moment. "Don't rush me!", he shouted back before continuing the inscription.

Jonathan rolled his eyes. He ducked from Meela's attempted stab and grabbed her hand, twisting her around. She stumbled back into one of the golden statues and growled at Jonathan. "You shall pay for that.", she promised.

"I bet I will. Bring it on!"

* * *

A whishing sound could be heard as a sword flew through the air. Three of the magi moved out the way, watching as the weapon planting itself into one of the jackals, killing it and forcing it into ash. Ardeth rode up on his horse, taking the sword from out the sand where it landed when the jackal disappeared. He looked at the other three.

"Did you see that?!"

"Yes, my friend! That was excellent!", one of them praised just as a jackal came running up. He pushed Ardeth's horse, forcing the man off and to roll on the sand. The horse, however, landed on the three magi. It neighed for help while the men struggled underneath it. "Oh this isn't fair!"

"Sometimes I hate my life!"

Ardeth was now in a head to head battle with the horse bullying jackal. "That was so unjustified!", he scowled, slicing the jackal's head off before it dispersed into ash.

He then went over to the struggling group and helped his horse up, allowing the men to get back on their feet. One of them spat out sand from his mouth. "Yuck."

"Ardeth, your horse is fat."

The horse neighed as if saying, "Not true! That was a low blow!"

"No, my horse is strong and packed with muscle. Don't be jealous.", Ardeth taunted before fighting again.

* * *

Rick moved behind a pillar, avoiding Imhotep's blade with a yelp, before going low and then up again, pushing him back. Imhotep had reached for his right arm, successfully grabbing it and forcing the other man against his chest. Rick was placed in a lock by Imhotep's spear to his own chest. In his struggle to get out, he noticed his wristband falling off, revealing his tattoo. He sighed, being reminded of it.

"I don't get Rishid or Anck-su-namun saw in you.", he hissed.  _'Or me for that matter.'_

Imhotep then switched their positions so that Rick was forced down on his back with the blade of the spear to his neck.  **"I see you're still refusing me."**

"Oh, is this your way of seducing me? It's not working. I think it only works on people who are just as terrible as you!"

Rick kicked away the spear before doing the same with Imhotep. He grabbed his earlier discarded axe and got back up to his feet. He panted at the growing exhaustion, but was determined to finish this. There was no way he wanted Imhotep to succeed. Especially if he did, he not only ruled the word, but that meant  _she_ would rule with him. A heavy ping of guilt swept through at the thought. He knew if he loved Imhotep back then maybe all this wouldn't be happening. If he accepted Imhotep's love, he could have stopped all this. Imhotep only choose Anck-su-namun/Meela because she returned his love, willing to accept him. Yet, if Imhotep never tried to put another soul inside him, he wouldn't have regretted him! And now the world was at stake. Ah, damn it!

"I can't believe this! Here I am saving the world _again_! All because you and your evil ass girlfriend decide you want to control the rule the world! And to think I felt sorry for you eight years ago! You weren't even cursed for my sakes! But for her! Do you even love her?"

Rick swung his axe which clashed with Imhotep's. The two exchanged dull looks, both unable to read the other well. But Rick's own emotions was slipping. Everything he was feeling for the past few days had mixed within his chest, making him feel unstable now. Imhotep couldn't pinpoint exactly what emotion he was showing, or which one was coming.

"Do you? Do you even love her?"

The priest nodded, wondering what would make the other question it.

" **I did. And I do. You abandoned me before, even when I wanted to give you the world."**

Rick shook his head, pushing back Imhotep once more to catch his breath. "I didn't want the world. And maybe… and maybe then, I thought I didn't want you. But I know now and I know the truth."

Imhotep took a second to re-think about what Rick admitted to. Rick did the same, knowing he said these words before. The two shared a gaze, trying to understand each other and the situation before them. Did either of them want to do this? And for what reasons?

" **Rishid, what are you saying? What truth do you speak of?"**

The brunet looked down to the ground, noticing a huge pit of souls behind him. He stepped back away from it, feeling chills down his spine. The room then shook, alerting the room as a distant growl could be heard.

* * *

"Okay… um… damn. Uncle Jon! I don't know what this last symbol is!"

Jonathan had just dodged Meela again when he heard Alex shout. "What does it look like?!", he asked before Meela grabbed his neck and began to choke him. He remembered how something similar happened eight years ago.

"It's a bird! A stork!"

"I know that one!", Jonathan coughed out before he whacked Meela on the head and pushed her back.

Alex rolled his eyes. "THEN WHAT IS IT?!"

"Ahmenophus!"

"That's it." The boy recited the rest of the inscription. On cue, distinct voices could be heard and a golden glow shined in front of him, surrounding his aunt. He watched with wide eyes as Jonathan was attacked again.

The man winced as Meela managed to cut his jacket, slicing the skin beneath it. She smirked, advancing on him. "Now, you die."

"Oh damn…"

The woman went to stab him but she was taken by surprise when a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.

Both Jonathan and Meela whipped their eyes to the side and saw it was a very much alive Evelyn who looked madly pissed. Behind her was a smirking Alex. "Oh you're in for it now.", he teased. "I told you that my Aunt Evy is going to kick your ass."

"Alex, watch your mouth.", Jonathan warned. Evelyn pushed him gently to the side.

"Jonathan, take Alex and go help Rick.", she demanded, glaring at Meela.

Alex pouted. "But I want to see this!"

"No catfight watching, today, Alex.", Jonathan said, grabbing Alex and forcing him to follow him out.

The librarian calmly walked over to a statue and grabbed the two sais it held. She rolled her neck, cracking it with a smirk.

Meela grabbed another weapon and got into a defensive stance.  **"Nefertiri."**

" **Anck-su-namun."**

* * *

Blue and brown looked about as the roar got louder.

"What the hell is that?!", Rick questioned, keeping the axe in his hand, eyes searching the room. Imhotep glanced at him and for a moment, he saw Rishid in the same light. Dressed in armor as he trained as he looked on the defense against his opponent. It made the mummy ponder about his current love. He thought back to Rick's question. Did he really love Meela? Or Anck-su-namun? He remembered how the mistress was there for him, doing everything she could do to comfort him. That what made him fall for her. But then he realized something.

He wanted to give her the world because he was afraid of losing her like he did with Rishid. It was why he was cursed when he tried to resurrect her. Now he seeked to control Anubis' Army. But could she still love him if he didn't? In reality, Imhotep was awakened because his followers praised him to defeat the Scorpion King and take control of the army to rule the world. But then in ancient times with Rishid, he never felt obligated to do such a thing. Rishid loved Imhotep for him and maybe his reincarnation wanted to do the same.

He didn't deny that some part of him still hoped for it. That part of him still loved Rishid, and fallen for his re-creation. It grew just as the priest stared at him, noting how focused he looked.

The doors then opened with a loud clanking sound. The two turned and froze as a shadowy figure was revealed, unclenching what looked to be claws. "Oh my god…", Rick gasped as the creature came into view within the firelight. Half man, half scorpion. And enormous as hell.

The duo paled, stepping back as the creature came forward, snapping his claws at them, forcing them to separate in different directions.

"That… that's…"

" **The Scorpion King…"**

Said creature noticed the two both wielding weapons. He felt a sense of danger.

Growling, he advanced onto Imhotep first. Okay, the dude was frightening indeed, large and all be damned if he had an appetite for people. So, it was logical not to fight him head-on. Imhotep had to be smart about this. So he did what he thought was best. Knowing that the Scorpion King found the weapon a sign of trying to kill him, he dropped it and got to his knees. Before the larger male could strike, the priest spoke.  **"I am servant! Your servant!"**

From the sidelines, Rick rolled his eyes, placing a hand on his hip while holding the double sided axe downward.

The Scorpion King huffed.  **"Hm. We shall see."** He then turned to Rick with a questioning look. But before he could ask anything, he gave the gunslinger a look over, appreciating his physique. Rick noticed and blushed. "Hey! What are you looking at?!"

" **Why you, of course."**  He turned from Imhotep and advancing onto Rick, his eyes turning golden for a second. Rick stepped back, knowing now he was in deep shit.

"Uh… do I want to know why?"

" **You are quite the lovely creature, a rare flower, a diamond."**

"Did you just call me a  _flower_?"

Imhotep did want to intervene at this point, a bit jealous that the half scorpion was flirting with _his_  Rick, but… this was kind of funny. That and he couldn't disagree with the creature's words.

The half scorpion blocked Rick against a pillar, staring him right into his baby blues. The brunet sighed, knowing where this was going. "Oh my gods! I've been through this before. How come the bad guy is always pursuing me? I'm not all that good-looking… am I?"

" **Very beautiful, Rishid."** , Imhotep added in. Rick glared his way. "Yeah, you would know." He turned back to the Scorpion King, not liking how his eyes was wondering over his body. "You're thinking about making me your little consort, aren't you?"

" **Would you like to be?"**

"Nope! Gonna have to pass on that. And I can give so many reasons as to why."

" **Why deny me, my flower?"**

"Stop calling me that.", Rick deadpanned, before kicking one of the creature's legs out the way and diving to the floor and rolling back on his feet. Imhotep gave an impressed whistle. "Besides, I don't do big half scorpion, half guys. Hate to admit, but I'm more into mummies." Rick stuck his tongue out at the words. "Yuck. That actually sounded a lot better in my head. Also, I came here to kill you. You and I wouldn't work out anyways."

Rick twirled the weapons in his hands. He realized that he was once again forced to fight an evil baddie who was into him. First, Imhotep. Now, the Scorpion King? It was unexpected and he wasn't feeling it at all.

"So I hope you haven't unpacked because I'm sending you and your friends back to Hell."

* * *

Evelyn blocked the thin blade with her own. The rush of familiar, ancient energy burned through her as she recognized how her and Meela were engaged in the same fight their incarnations encountered. Back and forth they went, cursing each other out with their blades and in their heads. The librarian was almost knocked down by a kick, but she dodged it, encountered Meela's attack with her own kick. The evil woman growled at her and pushed back against the wall. She smirked in her face, her eyes darkened with a promise of death… again for Evelyn in this case.

" **Good, you have remembered the old ways."** , she spoke in Ancient Egyptian, knowing Evelyn understood.

The slightly smaller woman gave a chuckle. **"That I have."**  With a grunt, she caught Meela by surprise and head-butted her. "That's a little something new, bitch!"

Catching Meela off-guard, elbowed her in the stomach and then in her back. Meela went to swing at her, but Evelyn bent back. She came back up, going down and taking her sai onto Meela's cheek. The taller woman gasped, stumbling back. She touched her cheek and saw the blood on her fingers before looking at Evelyn with wide eyes. Maybe Alex was right. She was gonna get her ass kicked.

"What's the matter? Shocked? Afraid? I would be, too. You're going to pay for what you done.", Evelyn promised before charging at Meela.

Meela decided best it wasn't wide to fight back and ran off down the hall. Evelyn hissed. "NO, YOU DON'T! COME BACK HERE!"

* * *

Whimpering could be heard as the forgotten Hafez stumbled into the room, clenching his bony hand to his chest, still feeling both the pain and disbelief. He turned hearing a growl and caught Rick running past him.

The gunslinger stopped and turned to him. "You don't look so good. Oh damn!"

He resumed his running as the Scorpion King came up behind Hafez and grabbed the curator in anger at the thought of him as getting in his way of retrieving the one he desired. And like Imhotep eight years ago, he wasn't giving up either.

The curator screamed as the Scorpion King clenched him into his claw, climbing up the wall and onto some pillars. Rick and Imhotep watched from different sides of the room, blank in the face.

"AAAAHHHH!"

"Poor guy… well, he deserves it. Shouldn't have awakened the Scorpion King.", Rick sassed.

" **My Lord! My Lord! Help me! Help me!"** , Hafez pleaded, seeing Imhotep. "Save me! Save me!"

Imhotep gave him that 'Are you serious?' look. **"Why?"**  Even he knew not to try anything that stupid.

Hafez screamed as he felt a scorching pain through his body. Within seconds, he was ripped to shreds with a loud roar from the creature.

Rick blinked, paling at the sight, his hand briefly covering his mouth. "Whoa… he can't be that mad… can he?"

He yelped when the Scorpion King jumped down in front of him, knocking down a pot of fire and oil. The brunet backed away to prevent himself from getting burnt. He glared at the Scorpion King. "You jerk! Careful next time, thank you!", he sassed before he picked up an axe and throwing it. It met with the half scorpion's leg, not cutting through the shell of it, but it was enough to make him growl at Rick. The gunslinger winced, realizing his mistake. "Uh oh. Is it too late to apologize?"

" **Very defiant, you are. You should be taught a lesson, my queen!"**

Rick screamed, hauling ass.

* * *

"Ah, don't try to run now!"

Ardeth watched as the last of the jackal army dispersed after getting a sword thrown into his back. The black clad men looked around for anymore in case one of them decided to play hooky and then jump out. None came, signifying it was the end of it.

One of the men shouted to the sky, the others rejoicing in their victory. Ardeth sighed in relief. "I survived!"

"Yes, we all did! Wait, I hear something.", one the magi voiced. Ardeth turned to the north of them and pushed through until he got to the front. His eyes widened when he saw a black mass traveling over the sand, roars and thumps added in for good measure. The magi groaned, kicking the sand in annoyance. "God help us…"

* * *

Rick had managed to escape the Scorpion King again, sliding past a pillar and hiding in a shadowy corner. He panted, thinking over how chaotic the past few days have been up until now. "If I make it out of this, I am seriously taking a vacation, minus the scorpions, mummies and ancient artifacts.", he muttered. His blue eyes then caught the gleam of something on the wall beside him. He was drawn to it, noticing it to be a golden replica of his own tattoo. He stepped back, now making out a series of pictures. There was a Medjai with his tattoo and holding a golden stick that looked oddly familiar. He looked at the next and saw that the stick turned into a spear. And the very last shown that the spear was used to kill the Scorpion King.

"Oh my… wait… that stick looks so familiar. It looks almost like the stick I gave Izzy… OH MY GODS!"

"It took us forever in a day to find this room. Now where's Dad?"

At the voice, Rick turned and saw Alex and Jonathan enter the room, both searching the room. He rounded the corner and waved his arms to catch their attention. "HEY! HEY!"

Alex looked over and waved back, jumping up and down. "Hey, Dad! Aunt Evy's alive now!"

"GOOD TO KNOW! JONATHAN, PLEASE TELL ME YOU STOLE THAT GOLDEN ROD THINGY YOU LIKE SO MUCH BACK FROM IZZY!"

Jonathan revealed the stick, holding it up. "Of course I did! It's mine!"

"WELL, I NEED IT! JONATHAN, IT'S A SPEAR! THAT GOLD STICK THING IS A SPEAR!"

The older Carnahan looked over his item and shrugged. "It doesn't look like a spear!"

"NO, IT OPENS UP INTO ONE!"

"Yeah, yeah. And?"

"YOU DOLT, IT OPENS UP INTO A SPEAR!"

A loud roar was then heard behind them. From the shadows, the Scorpion came out, a snarl clear on his face. Alex and Jonathan screamed at the sight of him as Rick turned around slowly to glance up at him. "I'm so screwed…", he muttered, rolling out the way to avoid the Scorpion King's claw. "JONATHAN, GET THAT SPEAR OPEN NOW!"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!", the other man hollered desperately.

Alex's attention was then stolen from the sight of his father running from a pissed, lust-driven half scorpion man to the clicking of heels behind them. His blue gaze spotted Meela running from Evelyn who appeared to be every bit of hell-bent for Meela's blood. "COME BACK HERE, BITCH!"

Evelyn had stopped when she spotted Alex and Jonathan, her brother fumbling with the gold stick. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Dad's being chased by…"

"AAAAHHHH!"

The librarian looked over and saw Rick run across the room. "Oh. RICK!"

At the shout of his name, he looked over and spotted the brunette. A smile graced his face seeing that she was very much alive and well. "EVY!", he cheered before a roar was heard behind him. He yelped when tried snatching him up again. The Scorpion King growled at the failed attempt.  **"STOP RUNNING FROM ME!"**

"I HAVE EVERY REASON TO! I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR CONSORT, YOUR QUEEN, YOUR NOTHING!", Rick protested, running past Imhotep. The priest frown at the statement. He didn't want Rick to be the Scorpion King's consort either. He was  _his_. Even if he loved Meela. He was his first love, and although his anger at the rejection from years ago blinded him, he still loved him. Just took a while for him to remember.

"Consort?!", Evelyn, Jonathan, Alex and even Meela exclaimed. Rick didn't have time to retort when the half scorpion creature blocked him. He backed up against a pillar, panting and blushing from both the heat, the time he spent jumping and running, and the lusty look the other was giving him. "Uh… Jonathan… PLEASE GET THAT SPEAR OPEN!"

'I'M TRYING! I'M TRYING!"

Jonathan continued to struggle with the rod, looking for a way to open it. Evelyn went to run to her brother's side, but Meela grabbed her, twisting her around and forcing her against a wall. The librarian kneed her in the stomach, resulting in the other to double over before she was pounced on. Alex's focus turned on the catfight. "Whoo! Go, Aunt Evy!"

"Alex, help me open this!", Jonathan demanded. Imhotep turned and recognized the golden rod. **"The Spear of Osiris! Hm… looks like I will need it after all."** , he muttered, stalking towards the struggling Jonathan and deadpanned Alex. The boy sighed and grabbed the 'spear'. He examined it for a split second before doing a twist on it and tapping it. The rod opened, revealing its sharp end and becoming elongated… like a spear. Jonathan blinked.

"How… how did you do that?"

The blonde shrugged. "I honestly don't know… NOW QUICK!"

"JONATHAN, THROW IT! KILL THE SCORPION KING AND SEND HIS ARMY BACK TO THE UNDERWORLD!", Evelyn demanded, now straddling Meela who was hissing at her, trying to pry the smaller woman off.

The older Carnahan nodded, aiming the spear towards the direction of the half scorpion creature. He had still had the gunslinger pinned against the pillar, now at his level and leaning to close for comfort. "Alright! Step aside, Alex! I'm a professional!"

The spear then flew through the air, but somehow it was unexpected and expected that Imhotep caught it. He just plucked it out the air like no big whoop. Meela had smirked, knowing now the priest will obtain control of the Army of Anubis. It made her giddy with excitement just thinking about it. Unfortunately, Imhotep had other plans. He gave the spear a twirl before targeting the Scorpion King. Jealously boiled within the pit of his stomach as the creature had a close eye contact with  _his_  Rick. Okay, he had to die! No one dares touch his Rick! Even if it took him forever to realize he loved him more…

" **The Army of Anubis shall now be mine!"** , he shouted, adding a  _'So shall Rishid…'_  in his thoughts before tossing the spear. Rick's attention had turned at the shout and saw the spear flying through the air, knowing the Imhotep was the one who tossed it. He caught the smirk Meela had on her face and dread drained through him. He was clueless to Imhotep's current true intentions, still believing he wanted to rule the world with  _her_. He couldn't allow that.  _'Think, Rick. Think!'_

Everything was happening so fast that his mind was jumbling with it, adding in with his emotions. He didn't see any opening to escaping the Scorpion's blockade and that spear was getting closer by the inch. He groaned, hating the idea that popped up in his head.

' _Damn it…'_

What happened next shocked everyone else, but after all, it was a mixture of rational and irrational thinking.

Rick had wrapped his arms around the half scorpion's neck and pulled down far enough for the spear to miss him. And an added cherry on top to the whole thing, the brunet had  _kissed_ him.

Everyone's reaction to the whole thing varied. Alex as blinking at his Dad's actions, not sure what to say. Meela was just as clueless, but figured that Rick would leave her man alone. But she was also disappointed that the Scorpion King was saved. Jonathan was blushing, also not sure how to react. Evelyn looked deadpanned, as if it was normal, but in the inside she was smirking knowing she could tease Rick if they made it out alive. As for Imhotep? Well, he was feeling a combination of anger, disgust, disappointment and jealousy.

" **NNNOOO!"** , he had shouted.

Once the kiss was broken, Rick had left the Scorpion King in a daze, and gotten an opening out of the deal. He leaped out of his blockage, and grabbed the discarded spear from where it laid near the almost forgotten pit of the souls. He turned to see the Scorpion King scowling at him in puzzlement. "Hey, bastard! You taste like sand!", the brunet insulted. "Oh, and there's no way I'll ever be your queen!"

Well, it had seemed as if the Scorpion King didn't appreciate the comment and charged at him. Evelyn had gotten off Meela seeing Rick almost tumbling over into the pit, Imhotep rushing forward as well to catch him. He stopped the moment the spear made its way through the Scorpion King's chest. Rick held onto the handle of it, Imhotep on the other side of the pit, but close. The priest noticed how the Scorpion King was eying him as if he was asking whether or not he was going to help it. Imhotep had shaken his head in a negative, pretty pissed at him at the moment.

"HEY, ASS! GO TO HELL AND TAKE YOUR FRIENDS WITH YOU!"

The Scorpion King roared at the Spear of Osiris sent a scorching pain through him before his body dispersed into black sand.

* * *

"Oh, this is it, Ardeth. We're really going to die today!"

"Stop whining!"

"Well, if we do die, at least we won't have to get that lecture!"

"Is this really a good time to joke about that?!"

"I'm just saying!"

Ardeth had listened to his comrades going back and forth, but kept his dark gaze on the advancing army of jackals. It seemed every second that gone by, the Army of Anubis became closer within each mile. Not inch, but mile. Maybe he was nervous. Maybe he was paranoid. But he knew for sure he was ready. If he was going to die fighting an ancient ass jackal, he was willing to do so. After all, he gotten his kiss from Jonathan, his love. And he wasn't going to out like a coward. Hell no! He wasn't from many generations of Medjai for nothing!

"TILL DEATH!", he shouted, the others following suit and readying their weapons.

Closer and closer the jackals came, seemingly becoming quicker each millisecond.

"Here it is!", one of the men shouted as the opposing army became only a yard close to them. They thought it was the final clash, the final day of their lives, but none of them felt any pain or the weight of a sword or axe going down on them. Just… sand? Wind?

The descendants of the Medjai gasped as the jackals dispersed into black ash, sweeping over them before disappearing, leaving no trace as if they were never there. They looked around, wanting to be assured it was just that. One of them still had his sword jolted outwards, glancing about on elite mode. "This better not be some trick.", he muttered. "I'm ready. Oh, I dare one of them to try something!"

"You don't have to worry about that.", another confirmed.

Ardeth dropped his sword in relief, knowing that the others succeeded. "It's over. It's all over!", he praised as the surrounding men cheered in victory once again.

" **AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"**

They all stopped and turned, catching the golden pyramid within a distance and a cloud of black sandy smog emerging from the tip. They were baffled as a face, the Scorpion King's face, appeared, the mouth wide open and letting out his defeated roar. The cloud swirled back into the golden pyramid, a loud thump added in for good measure. Ardeth's eyes widened when he noticed how Ahm Shere began to quiver.

* * *

Evelyn had let out a yelp as a sharp stone collided down with the floor near her. Alex was clinging onto Jonathan, both trembling against the wall, Evelyn standing just in front of them. She was staring in fright as both Rick and Imhotep hung by just the tip of their fingers, trying desperately to not fall within the pit. The souls within it, clammed at them with wounded fingers of hunger for their life source. They moaned and groaned with anguish and despondency, wanting nothing more than to fulfill their own needs. They were damned after all.

"RICK!"

"YOU GUYS GET OUT OF HERE!", the brunet hollered, having the gut feeling that he wasn't going to make it. Alex had tears in his eyes by now. "No! Dad!"

"Look, Alex! I don't… EVELYN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

The librarian pretty much had thrown caution to the wind and was now running across the room to her proclaimed brother and best friend. She knew that Rick was heartbroken by her sudden death and knew it would have the same effect on her if she lost him. They were family and there was no way she was going to abandon him. So, like always, she wasn't going to listen to him.

"I'M RESCUING YOU, O'CONNELL! WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE YOU!", she protested, grabbing Rick by his shoulders and pulling him up. "I need you. Alex needs you. Jonathan needs you. We all need you, Rick. We're family and we were meant to be before any of us were born."

Beside them, Imhotep watched as the sole woman of the O'Connell-Carnahan family aided his first love. He glanced at Meela who was clenching onto the wall, scared out of her mind. She met with his stare, dull and saddened. She appeared to be debating on something, whether to escape or save Imhotep. She decided on that when she realized how he didn't succeed in killing the Scorpion King, her own greed and selfishness consuming her.

" **Anck-su-namun! Help me! Help me!"** , the mummified priest called out. Meela shook her head, protesting with a shout.

The priest was in dire shock to see her run out, but overall distraught about her betrayal. Oh, she was a bitch.

He looked over and saw that Rick was free from the souls trying to drag him down. Evelyn was panting from lifting Rick out the pit. "Damn, you're heavy. Let's go!"

Rick had been holding onto a crumbling pillar, feeling the heavy weight of the familiar scenario. One he didn't know for sure how it would end. Stones had continued to crash down onto the floor as the rumbles increased. Evelyn had turned, halfway across the room, when she noticed the gunslinger wasn't following her. "Rick! We have to go and we have to go now!", she called out, narrowly missing a stone. Worry filled blues shifted over from her to where his son and proclaimed brother was. They weren't moving until both Rick and Evelyn had come to their side. As the librarian said, they were family. "Come on!"

"Wait, Evy, I-"

" **GO!"**

Rick had been taken back by the shout, his gaze meeting Imhotep who's eyes still held the hidden love for him. Seeing the other man hanging onto the ledge like that for his life weighed heavily on his heart. The Rishid in him was crying out for his priest, something Rick couldn't deny. "But-"

" **No! Leave! Save yourself and your family! Go!"**

Although it would pain the priest to never see Rick again, he would have rather died if the reincarnation saved himself and his family, having the fighting chance to live. It would have put his dying soul to peace knowing that. His love for Rishid would always outweigh Anck-su-namun. Rishid didn't need the world or any form of power to be convinced to love Imhotep back. He loved Imhotep for who he was, the only person besides Pharaoh Seti and Nefertiri to treat him as a human. And even in death he remembered that, and continued to do so as Rick O'Connell. Which is why Rick was having a hard ass time debating on saving the priest.

"Dad! This whole place is about to collapse! We have to go!", Alex shouted as Evelyn reached them. Rick had finally reached his decision, hearing the frantic call from his baby boy. "Alright! I'm coming!"

He had turned to spare Imhotep one last glance in time to catch one of the mummy's hands slipping off the edge. Instead of moving to his family, his feet moved on their own, almost as if someone took control of him. Almost as if _Rishid_  took control of him.

The brunet found himself grabbing Imhotep's hand, pulling him up. He ignored the puzzled look on the other's face.

" **What are you doing?! Save yourself! Forget about me!"**

" **No! I'm going to go through this again! I lost you once and I won't lose you again!"** , Rick protested, the ancient language slipping off his tongue with ease. For that split second, both men were reminded of the Seer. Both knowing his presence was still lingering.

"DAD!"

"RICK!"

"DAMN IT ALL, HURRY UP!"

Imhotep was fully pulled out from the pit, disappointing the souls. Rick had helped him to his feet and the two sped off across the room and met with the others. The group hauled ass as the room finally collapsed and ran out into the hall.

* * *

"Damn, damn, damn."

Meela was pretty pissed that not only she didn't have an army to command, but that she was now running for her life, hoping to survive. But due to the darkened rooms, she wasn't guaranteed much of a fighting chance.

And karma indeed made sure of that.

The woman had tripped, damning her unfortunate as she fell back into a cluster of scorpions. She screamed as they began to eat away at her, giving her the punishment she so needed.

* * *

"Holy hell!"

The group had watched as the trees and other vegetation of Ahm Shere was swirled around in the room. Rick yelped as a still surviving pygmy mummy passed them. "Oh damn!" He turned, spotting an exit out, or at least he hoped. "Come on, this whole place is going to get sucked in!"

They all rushed out to the outside, catching the scenery of Ahm Shere committing the cliché 'the big bad has been defeated so I must destroy myself'. Trees, sand, dead guys, everything was being sucked into the pyramid which felt as if it was shrinking down each second. Imhotep looked up, seeing that they were safer up.

"Up! Let's go up!", he suggested. Alex turned to him.

"Oh, English, huh?!", he sassed as Rick lifted him, placing him to higher ground.

Ignoring the comment, the high priest followed the family up until they reached the very top. When they did, they came to the dreaded thought of what was to become of them. "We're trapped, Rick! Trapped! Oh, I'm going to die again!", Evelyn whined as they all huddled in. Jonathan was in tears, distraught that he wasn't going to see Ardeth again. "NO! I WANT TO LIVE!"

"And you will, dolt!"

The group glanced upward at the sound of an engine. Izzy was there, zeppelin fixed and ready to go. "Izzy?! How did-"

"Alright, don't mind that! Hurry up! Hurry up!", the pilot interrupted, throwing a ladder down. Alex was the first to climb aboard, wondering who in the hell this guy was. Evelyn went next, relieved. "Yes! I shall live!"

At the moment, Jonathan had unconsciously decided to risk it. He had noticed the gleam of the legendary diamond of Ahm Shere. He was distracted by it and almost fell off the ladder if Imhotep didn't catch him by his ankles. He was just pulling him up when Jonathan swung his body forward for the enormous diamond. Rick had peeked over the edge and growled. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Lower me down, Imhotep! Lower me down!", the other demanded, ignoring Rick.

"No! Imhotep, don't! Jonathan, it's not worth your life, you idiot!"

"Yes, it is!"

Slender hands grabbed onto the golden diamond, a squeal of happiness added in. Imhotep rolled his eyes.  **"Oh boy…"**

As the diamond was lifted from its resting place, the rest of the pyramid was devoured within the vegetation. Jonathan screamed. "AAAHHH! PULL ME UP! PULL ME UP!"

Rick growled and helped Imhotep pull Jonathan in the aircraft. He was practically thrown in.

The zeppelin was now far off from the now sunken Ahm Shere. Which meant that they have successfully survived another dangerous journey. Izzy had whooped. He then turned to glare at Rick, who was panting and getting his back rubbed by Imhotep. "O'Connell, you nearly got me killed!"

Rick rolled his eyes, standing up and placing his hands on his hips. "Hey, at least you didn't get shot!"

"By the way, how did you get this thing up again, Izzy?", Evelyn questioned, after thanking the man.

Izzy sighed. "You were right about natural resources. Now tell me what the hell you been messing with this time?!"

"Oh, you know, the usual.", Evelyn started.

"Mummies.", Jonathan added.

"Pygmies.", Alex added.

"And big bugs. Which, mind you, are lusty.", Rick finished. He noticed a figure in the distance and smirked. "Hey, Jonathan! It's Ardeth! He lives!"

Jonathan was quick at the side of the zeppelin and sure enough there was Ardeth on his horse. "ARDETH! WE MADE IT!"

"I NOTICED!", the magi shouted back, shocked that he could even hear Jonathan. "I'LL MEET YOU AGAIN, MY LOVE!"

"I'LL BE WAITING!"

"Hold it! Rick, what did you mean when you said 'lusty'?", Evelyn questioned. Rick blushed, Imhotep frowning at the memory. "Um… well…"

"The Scorpion King wanted  _my_  Seer here as his consort.", Imhotep hissed out.

Alex laughed. "Wow, Dad."

"Alex, you're grounded."

"What?!"

"And don't even ask why. You should know by now."

The blonde crossed his arms, flopping down to sit. Evelyn spoke up again. "Anyone would like to hear what heaven is like?"

"Maybe later, Evy. Maybe later.", Jonathan sighed, happy with the diamond and about Ardeth. But of course…

"That's half mine, you know.", Izzy reminded hastily. Jonathan shook his head.

"Nope!"

"You took my gold stick!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't! I swear!"

"Don't swear, liar! Liar! I'm going to throw you overboard!"

"Well, then you better hope you don't have a pissed off magi coming after you."

Rick exhaled, watching as the two bickered back and forth. He looked over his shoulder at Imhotep with a small smile. "You know, if you decide you're staying with me this is what you have to deal with."

Imhotep chuckled lightly, grabbing onto Rick by his waist and pulling him closer. He was content that the other was now willingly to love him back.  **"Doesn't matter. I love you."**

" **And I admit that I love you."**

Alex had turned in time to see the two exchanged a much desired kiss after waiting for the mutual commitment after so long. He gagged, sticking out his tongue.

"Ew! Gross! Dad, can you please don't do this?!"

* * *

After the journey from the desert, the united group found themselves in Cairo. More specifically… Terence's place. He had a clue that they had something to do with the missing cursed chest and a whole train being brought out by some mysterious woman and some curator. It was official when the commanders of the Medjai informed him of the reawakening of Imhotep and the Scorpion King. To say Terence was disappointed was a damn understatement, my friends.

"I can't believe you would do such a thing in the first place! Clearly, you haven't learned your lesson from eight years ago!"

As of now, Evelyn, Rick, Jonathan, Ardeth, who came back in time for the lecture after receiving one from the commanders, Alex and even Imhotep was seated in Terence's den. The curator was standing in front of them, pacing angrily while ranting on about what they gotten themselves into this time. They would have laughed since the eldest man, if you're not going by Imhotep's actual age, was adorning a red silk robe and slacks, but they knew better. Hey, they wanted to live.

"I'm sorry, Terence. I really am. I just… you know, got carried away with my visions?", Evelyn apologized, not sure if those were the right words since Terence didn't look any calmer.

"I bet you are, Evelyn. You not only found the bracelet, but you took it from its resting place after being warned, got yourself kidnapped, almost killed, then actually killed, and brought back to life!"

"W-would you like to know how heaven looks?"

"Not right now! Alexander!"

"Cripes…", the blonde muttered, missing the warning glare Rick gave him.

"What made you put on the bracelet? Huh?"

"Um… I just placed it on. I don't know what really made me put it on."

"Surely you don't! Mindless to what that had led to! Your father chased you halfway across Egypt while you were held captive and then on top of that you could have died if you didn't make it to the pyramid on time!"

"I know. I know. I'm very guilty for what my mindless actions caused."

Terence eyed him for a while before turning to Jonathan and Ardeth. "Before I get to Ardeth's terrible job of watching over Egypt…" Said magi gulped, paling at the words while Imhotep looked around aimlessly. "… I just want to know why it took both you and Jonathan eight years to admit your feelings?! Ardeth, I told you to do so then!"

"I wasn't sure! I wasn't! And come on, we had just put a mummy back to the Underworld then!"

"Don't care! Jonathan, what's your excuse?"

Jonathan blushed. "Well… um… I guess I wasn't so sure about my feelings then. Besides, what if he didn't feel the same way and rejected me? He is part of the Medjai and-"

"You're lucky you're so innocently adorable, Jonathan. You're good.", Terence interrupted, patting Jonathan's chocolate locks.

Alex pouted. "Wait a minute! I'm the child!"

Terence crossed his arms. "Yes, but Jonathan didn't have much participation in any of the incident. Besides, if he didn't have the Spear of Osiris, we would all be doomed."

"Good point. But he did almost die grabbing that diamond."

"I know. But again, he's innocently adorable."

It was Rick and Imhotep's turn. "Now, Rick, you know you're just as guilty as Evelyn is, right?"

Rick sighed, nodding like a small child caught drawing on the wall. "Yeah. I'm well known to that. I could have stopped her with more force."

"What else you did wrong?"

"I attempted to throw Jonathan overboard."

"And?"

"I just so happen to have fallen in love with an ancient killing machine. But that's partly my fault! I'm a reincarnation, remember?!"

"Yes, I remember. But that's not what I'm baiting at."

Rick blinked. "Then what are you…?"

"You didn't inform me about the bracelet's discovery! I thought you knew better!"

"I didn't think about that at the time!"

"Also, not telling anyone of your visions until last minute."

"They freaked me out."

"And almost getting yourself killed. You could have gone down with Ahm Shere!"

" **I did tell him to go and save himself."** , Imhotep added in. Rick glared at him.

"Shut it. This whole thing wouldn't had happened if you were reawakened."

" **Love, I didn't tell anyone to resurrect me again. And mind you, both times were unintentional on my side of it."**

"Okay, okay. You're right. But you did try to take over the Army of Anubis and the world."

" **And I didn't."**

"You also could have tried to save me from the Scorpion King. What if he would have succeeded? I'll be his consort, his queen. Dressed like some harem boy and having his scorpion babies."

"Even though Scorpion Queen has a nice ring to it, can we just end this? I don't want to imagine half scorpions, half human babies crawling all over the desert or be reminded of  _how_  they would have gotten there. Besides, I believe Rick gave Imhotep his lecture.", Evelyn voiced, bland and slightly repulsed. Terence sighed, waving them off to go. "Alright. But Ardeth, I'm still giving you that lecture. And don't think the punishment will stop there." Ardeth groaned before following Jonathan out of the room and to the back. Evelyn and Alex followed Terence to the home library. That left Imhotep and Rick to their lonesome. Walking down the hall, Imhotep had taken hold of Rick's hand and pulled him close. The brunet blushed at the contact, feeling hot under the collar. "We're in the middle of the hallway, Imhotep. What if my son comes here and sees us like this?"

"He won't."

Rick chuckled lightly, placing his hands on the high priest's shoulders. He was slightly disappointed that Imhotep was more covered up now. "How would you know? Alex has a sure way of surprising people. Also… you're speaking English now? When did you learn?"

"I have my ways."

The brunet yelped when he was suddenly placed against the wall, one hand gripping onto his waist lightly, the other taking a hold of his chin, forcing his blue gaze to meet a dark one. Rick's blush deepened. "Imhotep, I don't think Terence would appreciate us fornicating in the middle of the hallway within his house."

" **I'm not allowed to touch you, my prince?"**

To emphasize the lust behind his words, Imhotep leaned down a little more, pressing their lips together. The kiss started off pretty soft and sweet within the first few seconds. Just chaste enough. Feeling bolder, and yearning for the other, Imhotep darted out his tongue, licking at Rick's lips. Although he wasn't expecting it, he permitted the tongue within his own mouth anyways, moaning at the connection. Oddly enough, Rick was indeed enjoying it, feeling the love Imhotep kept for him for many years. This time, he was willingly kissing back, admitting his feelings and no longer denying himself from this. It wasn't Rishid that was making him believe it either. He knew he loved the high priest.

" **Imhotep..."** , he whined once the kiss broke. The ancient language rolled off his tongue easily, familiar to him even if it wasn't his first language.  **"I can't believe it took me forever to accept your love. I'm sorry."**

" **I forgive you, love."**  Imhotep drew Rick into another kiss. This one grew hotter than the last, intimate with compassion and a burn for the other. Unfortunately, it didn't last so long.

"Whoa! Whoa! Now none of that within the halls!"

Rick groaned as Terence pried the two apart as if they were horny teenagers. "Terence…"

"Nope. You know better. What if Alex came out and saw you in such a position?", the curator scowled like a father would his daughter. "Honestly. I just caught Ardeth and Jonathan doing the same. I'm shocked they were in… a worse than condition than the two of you."

Meaning, they were practically half nude or completely nude.

"Hm. At least we kept on our clothes."

* * *

After two nights of staying in Cairo, the family headed back to their mansion home in London. Ardeth had tagged along, wanting to make up for eight long years of not letting Jonathan know of his feelings sooner. Imhotep, of course, was staying, never wanting to lose Rick again. He came to terms with that Rishid had passed onto the afterlife, and even though he saw Rishid within Rick, he had grown to love the gunslinger for  _him_  within a matter of hours. Though the two were very alike, they were also very different. And it wasn't just physical. Rick was much more aggressive and sassy Rishid was, and could be less patient. Rishid was a pretty soft spoken person, following orders and being compliant to whatever someone ordered him to do. Rick was defiant, not willing to follow after someone else's lead, and spoke with confidence. It was kind of hard to believe Rick was Rishid's reincarnation. Either way, Imhotep was happy with the result.

"So… how long am I grounded for?", Alex questioned as they walked through the front door. Rick gave a soft scoff. "How long do you think for, Alex? Consider putting on the bracelet."

The blonde gulped. By the wicked gleam in his father's blues, he knew he was in for it. He rather be kidnapped. "I… I don't think I want to know the answer to that."

"Well, just know you're in trouble for a long time.", Evelyn teased, flopping down in a nearby chair. "It's so good to be home!"

"You're telling me.", Jonathan agreed, taking hold of Ardeth's hand. The magi kissed his cheek.

"I couldn't be more relieved. Honestly, I'm frightened to go back to Egypt at the moment."

"Why?"

"The commanders. I believe they're still pretty upset and probably planning a major punishment. Give me fighting Anubis' army any day."

Rick patted his shoulder. "Poor you. Say, let's get freshened up. I'm tired and I could use a major clean-up right now.", he voiced, grabbing onto Imhotep's hand and leading him upstairs.

The others watched them leave, smirks on their faces. "Oh, I'm so sure that's all he'll be needing.", Jonathan taunted. Evelyn laughed. "Oh, most definitely."

"Do people forget that I'm just a child and I shouldn't hear such words?", Alex sighed, leaning back against a wall and his arms crossed. Ardeth ruffled his hair.

"Maybe. Just think though, you'll be getting a sibling in the next few months."

"Oh my… Uncle Ardeth, are you seriously joking right now?! You're evil! Evil!"

Alex ran off, not wanting to hear more. Especially if one of the people they were discussing was his own dad and the other was an undead guy.

Evelyn turned to Ardeth. "I'm curious, how did you get out of Ahm Shere without a horse or a camel?"

The magi smirked. "I have my ways."

* * *

The air was cool, yet it was calm enough for anyone to step out into. The night was practically black with little stars, the moon waning. Standing on the balcony, Rick found himself looking across the grassy field behind the house. After cleaning, the gunslinger adorned a dark blue loose long sleeve shirt, the sleeves reaching his fingers, and matching loose cotton pants. He wasn't feeling as tired as he thought, so he took to standing outside, feeling light breezes while leaning on the railing. He processed the events of what transpired over this past week. Finding the Bracelet of Anubis, meeting enemy reincarnations, rescuing Evelyn, fighting mummies, getting his son kidnapped who had happened to put on the bracelet, going halfway through Egypt to rescue said son, visions, realizing your love for an ancient high priest, avoiding getting killed by pygmies, fighting a half scorpion man who wanted to make him a consort and queen, killing said dude and sending back him and the Army of Anubis, almost dying, being rescued, and finally getting a lecture out of your proclaimed father surrogate. Good news was everyone in his family was alive, including Evelyn who was brought back to life, Jonathan and Ardeth hooked up, Jonathan got a huge ass diamond which he currently had with him, and he finally admit his love for Imhotep.

Said man was just coming up behind him slowly, wearing just black pants. Rick glanced over his shoulder and noticed. "It's kind of cool out here. You're really going shirtless, right now?"

Imhotep wrapped his arms around Rick's slender waist, pressing himself against the slightly smaller man. "I don't feel it. Besides, Anubis King seem to have only weakened my powers. They were fully restored once the Scorpion King was killed."

"You're thanking me for that?"

A kiss was his answer. "Yes."

The two stood pressed against each other for a while in silence, just basking in the presence of each other. Rick rested his head back against Imhotep's shoulder, tilting it just a bit for the other to nuzzle in his neck. He gave a light moan when he felt a kiss on his skin.  **"You really can't resist me, can you?"**

" **No. Honestly, I was furious seeing you kissing him."**

" **It's not like I wanted to."**

" **I know. I still didn't like it."**

" **I'm always yours. I always have been. Just took me a while to accept it."**

" **It was worth it."**

Rick gasped at the sudden bite to his neck. "D-did you just… oh. Mhmm." He found himself being nibbled and kissed on his neck with various amounts of pressure. It felt good. Way too good.

* * *

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…"

Alex sung to himself while creeping down the hall. He was dressed for the new day, not worrying about red robed guys watching over him since that was long over. Thank goodness for that. He had woken up to the smell of breakfast, despite the kitchen being on the other side of the mansion. It smelt just that good. "Probably Aunt Evy or Dad cooking…", he muttered to himself before passing a slightly cracked opened door. Curious, he peeked inside and realized that it was his aunt cooking. Inside the room, Rick was laying on his bed, cuddled against Imhotep's side, his head resting on his chest and his right leg thrown over the other's legs. He was still sleep, at peace. Imhotep looked like he was sleeping, but he just laid there with his eyes closed, not moving at all. So it was hard to tell. But he looked just as happy with the small smile on his face and his arms around the gunslinger.

The blonde kept quiet as he stepped away from the door. Despite starting on the wrong foot with the mummy, Alex was appreciative for him. It wasn't like his dad was never happy before, but Alex could see that he would be more contented now. He deserved for someone to love him, not on platonic or family terms either.

The boy had entered the kitchen, finding Ardeth covered in batter. The Carnahans were laughing at him, much to the magi's displeasure. "Oh, what happened?"

"He mixed the pancake batter too hard.", Evelyn wheezed, grabbing a hand towel and passing it to her future brother-in-law. Her face was red from the laughing. "Way too hard."

"It's not funny.", Ardeth deadpanned. Jonathan let out another laugh. "It is, too. Look on the bright side, you look awfully cute!", he teased. Ardeth shook his head, not sure how to retort to it. He wiped the batter off his face and shirt before unbuttoning said shirt. Jonathan stopped laughing then, now engrossed with the action. That lustful gaze and blush said it all. Rick had come into the kitchen in time for the almost strip show. He quickly covered Alex's blues, his own narrowing. "Hey, hey, hey. Ardeth, undress yourself out of the kitchen please. And Jonathan, remember there is a child here.", he scowled, Imhotep coming up behind him. The magi grumbled and walked out the kitchen, Jonathan quickly following him. When the coast was clear, Alex's eyes was uncovered.

"Morning, Dad. Morning, Imhotep."

"Morning, Alex. Say, what happened with Ardeth anyways?"

"He mixed the pancake batter too hard.", Alex repeated from his aunt. Said woman was finishing up the batter before placing it in circles in a skillet. "Yup! Told him to slow down. I think he got distracted."

There was a thump nearby. The four blinked. "If you catch my meaning.", Evelyn added.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Oh, I caught it.", he chuckled, grabbing Alex and placing him in a nearby chair. Imhotep took a seat next to the boy, engaging himself in 'Rick-watching' as the brunet helped his sister finish cooking. The younger beside him nudged his arm. "So, you really do love my father, huh?", he questioned quietly, making sure Rick couldn't hear. Imhotep nodded. "I do. I have since ancient Egypt, but I love him for who he is now as well. Not just for being Rishid's reincarnation."

"Ah. You love him more than her?"

"Again, always. I believe my heart only swayed towards her because she was more accepting then. But I always loved him more."

"Alright, alright. Are you and my dad going to give me a younger sibling then?"

"Alexander! That I heard, young man!", Rick warned, his face turned as red as the strawberries Evelyn was cutting up. Alex and Imhotep exchanged glances. "You were listening in?"

"Actually, I foreseen your little talk, son. Last night actually. Remember, I can see into the future!"

"Prove it."

"Ardeth's about to walk in, holding hands with Jonathan while wearing a navy blue shirt."

On cue, said couple walked in. And what do you know? Ardeth was holding hands with Jonathan… while wearing a navy blue shirt. Alex's eyes widened. "What… what?"

"Something happened?", Jonathan questioned, noticing the smirks of Evelyn, Rick, and Imhotep's faces. Alex was blinking, in disbelief. "Déjà vu? How… how?!"

"Again, I can see things that happened before it does. Alex, your dad is a Seer.", Rick giggled, pinching the blonde's cheek. Alex grumbled. "Dad!" The brunet just grabbed him and nuzzled his hair. "Oh, you're so adorable!" The others laughed at Alex failing miserably at trying to struggle out of Rick's grasp, groaning in displeasure at the cuddling. Imhotep watched, admiring the sight of Rick's smile as he coddled his son with all the love he had for him. The mummy deemed himself lucky. Waiting 3000 years and counting was worth seeing something like this. To be part of a family. To be united with his one, first true love again. "Oh my god! Someone help me! Imhotep, please!" Alex whined, reaching out for the mummy. Imhotep chuckled and grabbed the blonde's hands, pulling him out Rick's grasp. While the Mother Hen of the group pouted, crossed arms and all, Alex took cover behind Imhotep, panting. "Are you sure? Like really sure you want to be part of this family?", he joked.

"Ah! The pancakes are burning!"

"Damn!"

The two watched as Evelyn and Rick desperately fan away the smoke from the skillet, Ardeth and Jonathan laughing at the sight. Imhotep turned to Alex and nodded. "Yes, I'm really sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of that! And yes, I noticed it was longer than the first one, but who cares?! I had to add the little extra parts.  
> Now, I'm not sure if I will be doing a sequel for this.  
> What do you peeps think? Should I?  
> I hoped you enjoyed this!  
> Thank you for reading!


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